BY THE NUMBERS The National Center for Health Statistics released annual overdose data this week. In the one-year period between April 2020 and April 2021, 100,000 Americans likely lost their lives due to drug overdose. This is the first time overdose deaths in one year exceeded 100,000, despite increasing steadily and soaring during the COVID-19 […]
Read More on Webinar on Vaccine Mandates, New Workforce Issue Brief
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT This week, in observance of Veterans Day, we honor the brave people who have answered the call to military service, and we acknowledge the fight may not end after returning home. Research shows that veteran suicide rates – 6,000 per year – are at the highest level in recorded history. […]
Read More on Vaccine Requirement Announcements, Advocate for 988
QUOTABLE “We’re committed to achieving mental health parity, expanding access to mental health care, eliminating mental health stigma, and addressing substance use and mental health challenges.” – Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), during Hill Day at Home 2021. CCBHCs: Achieving Nationwide Expansion and Adoption Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics […]
Read More on Hill Day 2021 in Review
BREAKING NEWS The Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force recently published its 2021 Legislative Agenda for the 117th Congress. The agenda includes key National Council priorities, including several Hill Day at Home asks, such as the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act of 2021; the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act; the Medication […]
Read More on Phase 4 Provider Relief/American Rescue Plan Funding
BY THE NUMBERS 76% of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) participate in specialty courts, and 72% train law enforcement and corrections officers in mental health and substance use awareness, according to a new National Council report discussing how states and localities utilize the CCBHC model to partner with various divisions of the justice systems. […]
Read More on Provider Relief Fund FAQs, Register for Hill Day at Home
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Share your experiences, hear from peers and learn how to elevate your advocacy during Hill Day at Home, our annual advocacy event uniting thousands of people online to advocate on important legislation. Last year, Hill Day at Home resulted in 5,273 advocacy actions and 416 members of Congress being reached. […]
Read More on Join Hill Day at Home, Budget Resolution Passed
TAKE ACTION Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) introduced the Ensuring Medicaid Continuity for Children in Foster Care Act of 2021 (S. 2689). This bipartisan legislation would clarify existing law to ensure that the services provided for certain foster children in need of a higher level of care are covered by Medicaid. Please […]
Read More on Budget Resolution and Infrastructure Package Update, and More
QUOTABLE “We’re also reconceptualizing what’s now a suicide hotline to be a mental health or behavioral health crisis line… We anticipate that as 988 gets put into place, as people begin describing it as a crisis hotline, that there will be more calls and we’ll need to shore up that entire kind of infrastructure.” – […]
Read More on Act Now to Support CCBHCs, Register for Harm Reduction Webinar
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced the availability of $103 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to reduce burnout and support the mental health of the health workforce. Three funding opportunities are now accepting applications and will be open […]
Read More on National Council Calls for Permanent Extension of Telehealth in Medicare, and More
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT On Wednesday, July 14, from 2-3 p.m. ET, the National Council is hosting “Our Nation’s Wellbeing: Where Do We Go from Here?”, the next event in our “Wellbeing Wednesday” virtual learning series. This month, we are featuring a timely and powerful discussion between U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MPH, […]
Read More on New CCBHC Grants, CARA 3.0
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 95% of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) are engaged in one or more innovative practices in collaboration with law enforcement and criminal justice agencies (e.g., police, jails, and courts). Read more about how CCBHCs are leading a bold shift in mental health and substance use care in the May […]
Read More on Presidential Budget Released, Block Grant Guidance
QUOTABLE “Behavioral health is a priority for the Department of Health and Human Services. The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the need to invest resources in our nation’s mental health and address the inequities that still exist around behavioral health care.” – Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announcing the department’s new Behavioral Health […]
Read More on New Grant Funding for Mental Health and Substance Use, 988 Briefing
In the week of April 26, the Census Bureau released the 2020 population counts for congressional apportionment over the next decade.
Read More on COVID-19 Telehealth Grants, Updated Buprenorphine Guidelines
BREAKING NEWS This week, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced a new Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) Grant Program to help providers bridge the service delivery gap. Read more and apply by May 21, 2021. CARA 3.0 Introduced Senators Portman (R-OH) Whitehouse (D-RI), Capito (R-WV), Klobuchar (D-MN), and Shaheen (D-NH) recently […]
Read More on Loan Repayment Applications Open, New CMHC Grant
BREAKING NEWS The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that it is extending access to the Affordable Care Act Special Enrollment Period until August 15, 2021. PPP Extension Act Signed into Law Small businesses will have more time to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan thanks to swift action […]
Read More on PPP Extension Act, Take Action
QUOTABLE “The MATE Act boldly proclaims that all prescribers have a role to play in preventing, treating, and managing substance use disorders. For our nation to be truly healthy, we must understand substance use and treat it like every other medical condition. Our nation’s overdose crisis is having a devastating impact on communities. This legislation […]
Read More on PPP Deadline, New Emergency Broadband Program
BREAKING NEWS Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 on Wednesday. This $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill includes billions in support for life-saving mental health and substance use services. President Biden signed the package into law yesterday. For a comprehensive breakdown of the mental health and substance use disorder-related provisions, click here. For […]
Read More on COVID-19 Relief Signed Into Law
BREAKING NEWS New “State of the Industry” data released by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing finds 40% of mental health and addiction treatment organizations surveyed will not be able to keep their doors open past the end of the year without additional federal relief. The data arrives amidst rising concerns about mental health, increases in overdoses, and a surge in overdose death rates in […]
Read More on Senate to Vote on COVID Relief
IN THE NEWS A new report by the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health outlines the various ways states utilize Medicaid waivers to increase access to quality behavioral health services. Medicaid Financing for Behavioral Health Services: The Use of Flexibilities and Authorities seeks to determine the variation in behavioral health provider reimbursement rates under […]
Read More on House Votes on COVID Relief Today
BREAKING NEWS In accordance with a recent executive order on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid, the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for the Health Insurance Marketplace reopened this week and will remain open through Saturday, May 15. House Wraps Up Reconciliation, Working on COVID Package Last week, House Committees finished work on budget […]
Read More on House Wraps Up Reconciliation, Working on COVID Package
