MHA News Now

DMH Receives Grant for Co-Occurring Treatment for Youth

Over the next four years, the Mississippi Department of Mental Health (DMH) plans to improve assessment and treatment services for adolescents with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders through the use of a $3.8 million, four-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

The Mississippi State Adolescent Treatment Enhancement and Dissemination (MS SYT-ED) project will strengthen the State’s systems to serve adolescents, ages 12 – 18, with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders by developing two learning sites in Mississippi for evidence-based treatment for adolescents. The two learning sites will help develop a blueprint for policies, procedures, and financing structures that can be used to widen the use of evidence-based substance abuse treatment practices in Mississippi. The two learning sites will identify barriers to access and treatment, and test solutions that can be applied throughout the state for adolescents and their families.

“This grant will profoundly impact the way we treat adolescents with mental illness and substance abuse in our state,” said Pam Smith, MS SYT-ED Program Manager. “A key to this grant is the dissemination of information. We want to share what we learn through the two collaborative sites with the entire State in order to better address the treatment of adolescents and their need for recovery support through improved integration and efficiency of services.”

According to SmartTrack, Mississippi adolescents exhibit an exceptionally early age of alcohol onset, persistent use of marijuana, methamphetamines, prescription drugs and other gateway drugs. Various statewide assessments of substance use among youth in Mississippi indicate that about 64.8% of high school students reported having used alcohol at least once in their lifetime, 19.3 % reported binge alcohol use in the past 30 days. In addition, adolescents coming into substance use treatment often have co-occurring substance use and mental health problems. Among adolescents aged 12-17 years entering into substance abuse treatment in 2009 in Mississippi, an estimated 11.6% had a co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorder.

“The statistics alone clearly show the need for the very best evidence-based treatment for our youth,” said Pam Smith, MS SYT-ED Program Manager. “Families who have a child with a mental illness and are dealing with a substance abuse issue need access to treatment and real-time solutions. We want to find the gaps in the system and develop strategies to address the gaps in order to give these youth a better future.”

Anticipated outcomes of this project include:

• decreased juvenile justice involvement for adolescents,
• increased rates of abstinence,
• increased enrollment in education, vocational training and/or employment,
• increased positive social connectedness, and
• increased access, service use, and outcomes among adolescents most vulnerable to health disparities.

Community Mental Health Centers, Free-Standing nonprofit, and private nonprofit centers who have a two year history of providing co-occurring treatment services to adolescents (ages 12-18) who are interested in applying to become one of the two collaborative learning sites, can receive more information by contacting DMH at 601-359-1288 or visiting www.dmh.state.ms.us. Any agency that applies must be in compliance with all State/Federal/Tribal licensing, accreditation, and certification requirements. 

Big Changes For Addiction Treatment Predicted Under Obamacare

An estimated 40 million people could enter treatment because the health law recognizes drug addiction and alcoholism as chronic diseases that must be covered by insurance plans, according to the California Health Report.  Learn more here.

MHA members: Join MHA's Society for Behavioral Health to stay up to date on mental health issues and network with professionals around the state. Join online here. 

Art and Alzheimer's: Dipping Into the Self

On Thursday, June 20, Friends of North Mississippi State Hospital will host Art and Alzheimer's: Dipping Into the Self at noon in the Multipurpose Room at North Mississippi State Hospital in Tupelo.

Daniel C. Potts, MD, will be the instructor. The cost is $10. This program is encouraged for caregivers, social workers, nurses, doctors, students, dementia care specialists, nursing home staff, psychologists, and activities directors. One hour of CEU will be awarded.

To register, call Debbie at (662) 690-4286.

Up to 20% of kids experience mental disorders: CDC report

Up to 1 in 5 children living in the U.S. have mental disorders, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about $247 billion is spent on children's mental health each year. Those were among the findings in the CDC's first report that examined the number of U.S. children between the ages of 3 and 17 years old who have specific mental health disorders or indicators of mental health issues.

The report—Mental Health Surveillance Among Children in the United States-2005-2011—appeared as a supplement in the Atlanta-based agency's weekly morbidity and mortality report. The study comes four months after President Barack Obama included expanding access to mental health services as one of the core elements of his gun-control initiative, “Now is the Time.”

Read more from Jessica Zigmond in Modern Healthcare here.

Task force recommends screening all adults for alcohol misuse

Primary care professionals should ask all adults aged 18 or older about their drinking habits and offer brief behavioral counseling to those who drink more than the recommended daily, weekly or per-occasion amounts, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended May 14. Recommended screening tools include the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, abbreviated AUDIT-Consumption test, and single-question screening such as asking, “How many times in the past year have you had five (for men) or four (for women and all adults older than 65 years) or more drinks in a day?”

The panel assigned a "B" grade to the recommendation, which means all copays and deductibles for the screenings will be waived under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. According to the task force, an estimated 30% of U.S. residents drink more than they should, making alcohol misuse the third leading cause of preventable death.

The panel found insufficient evidence to recommend screening for all adolescents.

[ via AHA News Now ]

6th annual Mississippi School for Addiction Professionals set for April 9-12

In an effort to help educate Mississippi’s Addiction, Treatment, and Prevention Professionals, about alcohol and drug abuse and prevention the 6th Annual Mississippi School for Addiction Professionals, hosted by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health’s (DMH) Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Services, will be held April 9-12 at the Hattiesburg Convention Center. “We provide a learning experience where professionals or nonprofessionals can come together to learn from innovative individuals who are leaders in the field of substance abuse treatment and prevention,” said Jerri Avery, DMH Director of the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Services. “The MS School is an excellent way to educate people on the best practices available to produce the best outcomes for those we serve.”

The MS School for Addiction Professionals will offer exciting plenary sessions, special events and a variety of courses in prevention, intervention and treatment, all of which are designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of each participant. The MS School offers many courses that address contemporary topics to help professionals remain abreast as to the latest trends in their areas. The MS School is open to treatment professionals, service providers, educators, parents, nurses, social workers, school counselors, law enforcement, faith based organizations, concerned citizens and others.

Keynote presenters include: Tonier “Neen” Cain, “Dealing with Trauma and the Road to Recovery;” Dr. Brian Sims, “Trauma Informed Care: The Road to Recovery,” Jonathan Cloud,

“The Neuro-Science of Aggression,” Marshall Fisher, “Current Trends in Prescription Drug

Abuse,” Dr. David Mee-Lee, “Helping People Change: What You Can Do To Make or Break the Therapeutic Alliance,” Becky Vaughn, “Healthcare Reform,” and Penny Norton, “Prescription Drug Abuse: A National Public Health Crisis.”

Substance abuse disorders don’t just affect the individual, but their family, friends and the community. Thousands of Mississippians are in recovery from alcohol and drug abuse. They are neighbors, friends and family members leading healthy and productive lives in our communities.

More than 23 million people, aged 12 or older, needed treatment for a substance use disorder in the United States in 2007, and in Mississippi alone, 183,000 people and their families are affected by this disease. Each year, the alcohol and drug residential treatment centers in Mississippi certified by DMH’s Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Services, provide residential treatment to more than 6,000 Mississippians suffering from substance abuse and dependence problems.

For more information about The Mississippi School for Addiction Professionals, contact 601-359-1288 or visit http://www.themsschool.ms/. If you or someone you know is in need of treatment, call the DMH’s Helpline at 1-877-210-8513.

Medicaid’s mental health emergency

Coverage gaps have led many patients with acute psychiatric problems to hospital emergency departments. Read how one initiative hopes to strengthen mental health services for this population here.

Joint Commission Issues Suicide Alert for ED, Med/Surge

Suicide is one of the five serious events occurring in hospitals most often reported to The Joint Commission, and nearly 25% occur in non-psychiatric settings. Staff in medical/surgical units and the emergency department is recommended to watch for patient suicidal behavior.

Read more here.

Report helps hospitals improve behavioral health services

The American Hospital Association on Sept. 17 unveiled recommendations and successful practices to help community hospital leaders meet the growing demand for behavioral health services in the face of inadequate funding. Developed by an AHA task force, the report provides strategies in the areas of community needs assessment, behavioral health planning, community collaboration, adequate financing, employer practices and advocacy.

“Patients coming into the hospital with physical illness such as heart failure and cancer may also face behavioral health disorders,” said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock. “While we do a good job of treating the physical illness, oftentimes we don’t adequately address the behavioral health issues that may go hand-in-hand with these conditions.”

Almost one in four adult community hospital stays in 2004 involved a mental health or substance abuse-related disorder.

[ via AHA News Now ]

Guide helps trauma centers screen for problem drinking

A new guide from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helps trauma centers identify and treat problem drinking. The guide is aimed at Level I and II trauma centers, but smaller trauma centers, emergency departments, clinics and primary care physicians also will find screening methods and interventions they can incorporate, SAMHSA said.

It collaborated on the guide with the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

[ via AHA News Now ]