US Outpatient Care for Serious Mental Health Issues Declined During COVID-19

A study today in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that while telemedicine helped some groups seeking mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans with serious mental health symptoms suffered from a decline in in-person outpatient mental health visits that has persisted. Moreover, this lack of outpatient care for those with significant mental illness was seen mostly in patients with lower incomes and education levels. The study was based on trends seen in participants in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component, given from 2018 to 2021 to 86,658 adults. Respondents were asked how frequently in the previous 30 days they had felt so sad that nothing could cheer them up, nervous, restless or fidgety, hopeless, that everything was an effort, or worthless (all, most, some, a little, or none of the time). Responses were scored from 0 to 4, with a score of 13 or higher defining serious psychological distress, the authors said.

CMS’ New Behavioral Health Model Illustrates Ongoing Effort To Push Value-Based Care, Integration Forward

The new IBH model is an effort by CMS to marshal public resources into a coordinated whole for those with severe behavioral health issues. Specifically, the model will connect adults with mental health conditions or substance use disorders (SUDs) to physical, behavioral and social supports, prioritizing a collaborative care model between behavioral health and physical health providers. The model also goes in the opposite direction of most integration programs. Instead of integrating behavioral health in physical care settings, the IBH Model calls for physical health and social support to be integrated into behavioral health, an idea becoming increasingly common in the mainstream of health care. Announced Jan. 18, the to-be-enacted program seeks to fill this void in the health care system using behavioral health as the entry point rather than vice versa. The finer details of the IBH Model are presently unknown and may only be filled in once states start working on the model. CMS will release more information later this spring in a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO). In the fall, CMS will select eight states to participate in the program. It will run for eight years, five of which will encompass the implementation period. The three-year wind-up of pre-implementation features several moving parts.

$85 Million for New Appalachian Community Innovation Programs – Bringing Schools, Health and Behavioral Healthcare, Employment Together

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission (OFCC) today released official program guidelines for the $85 million Appalachian Community Innovation Centers program.

K-12 school districts, joint vocational school districts, regional councils of government, or other political subdivisions located in the 32 Ohio Appalachian counties may apply for funding.

Eligible projects include new construction, renovation, or expansion of existing facilities that:

• support public education,
• deliver physical or behavioral healthcare services onsite to students and the public, and
• provide community access to job-related programming.

To qualify, projects must demonstrate a significant impact in all three areas. 

"Schools are already centers of the community in Appalachia. With the support of the General Assembly, we can use federal funds made available from the American Rescue Plan Act Capital Projects Fund to promote student engagement while increasing the availability of resources for adults," said Governor DeWine.

"Ohio’s Appalachian communities often feel overlooked, and they have a real need for these dollars as they work to provide educational, health care, and job opportunities in centralized locations," said Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima). "These are real improvements that people will see every day and will make a difference for decades to come."

The program is administered by the OFCC.

“OFCC is already working with local communities on school construction projects,” said Ohio Budget and Management Director and OFCC Chair Kimberly Murnieks. “The partnership between education, healthcare, and jobs will provide ready access to the type of services that strengthen families and communities in the Appalachian region.”

The application period for the Appalachian Community Innovation Centers Program starts today and ends March 21, 2024. OFCC staff will host a pre-application webinar on February 12, 2024, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. to present the guidelines in detail and allow interested parties to ask questions.

Community behavioral health care organizations operating in the 32-county Appalachian region are encouraged to talk with their public schools, ADAMHS Boards, and local JFS offices about this opportunity.

For more information, visit the program website at ofcc.ohio.gov. 

NatCon24 – Join Us in St. Louis April 15-27

Get ready for NatCon24, the largest conference in mental health and substance use treatment! The National Council for Mental Wellbeing is bringing the best minds in health care to St. Louis from April 15-17 to lead three days of leadership-building, organization-boosting content. Only at NatCon24 can you hear from 500+ speakers, choose from hundreds of expert-led sessions, earn continuing education credits and network with 5,000+ health care colleagues from across the country.

What can you expect as a NatCon24 attendee? Here’s a glimpse:

• Hear from hundreds of sought-after speakers and thought leaders.
• Enjoy hundreds of hours of evidence-based, industry-leading content.
• Discover new ways to boost your operations, impact and bottom line.
• Participate in “deep dive” discussions about the future of our field.
• Earn new CE and CME credits throughout the conference.
• Celebrate health care heroes during an awards program.

Featured keynotes include former First Lady, Michelle Obama, Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist and New York Times Bestselling Author, Isabel Wilkerson, Global Researcher and New York Times Best-selling Author, Marcus Buckingham, and National Council President and CEO, Chuck Ingolia and many more nationally recognized thought leaders.

Best of all, as an Ohio Council member, your membership includes National Council membership, which means you can take advantage of big discounts when you register!