On Monday, March 31, 2014, the efforts of the entire behavioral health community, spearheaded by the National Council for Behavioral Health, were rewarded when Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (H.R. 4302), which included provisions of the Excellence in Mental Health Act. … Read More

Last Tuesday, March 25th, The Center for Supportive Housing (CSH) hosted a webinar in collaboration with staff from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to discuss two current grant opportunities targeted to ending chronic homelessness and increasing the capacity of supportive … Read More

The SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions (CIHS) today released its “Core Competencies for Integrated Behavioral Health and Primary Care,” the first compendium of competencies for those working in integrated health and behavioral health settings. The report, developed by the Annapolis Coalition on the … Read More

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced last night that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and New York State (NYS) have agreed “in principle” to an $8 billion Medicaid adjustment that will allow New York to reinvest this savings to transform the State’s health … Read More

New York State’s Association of Substance Abuse Providers (ASAP) is once again hosting Advocacy Days, which provide those involved in service provision for substance use disorders (SUD) the opportunity to meet with elected officials to promote the importance of these services. This year, ASAP Advocacy Days … Read More

Last week, SAE attended New York State’s Coalition for Behavioral Health Agencies, Inc.’s “Rising to the Challenge” conference in New York City. The conference’s Keynote Speaker, Senator Patrick Kennedy, gave an energetic and passionate call to action, requesting that the 2008 Mental Health Parity … Read More

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation has released its Guidelines for the Successful Transition of People with Behavioral Health Disorders from Jail and Prison. These guidelines are designed to foster cross sector partnerships … Read More

Just before the new year, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA), and the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) released a report showing that those who were part of … Read More

With the start of this new year comes ample new federal grant opportunities for health and human service organizations to engage in a variety of new programs and services for their clients. Already, federal agencies like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration … Read More

Last week, on January 10, 2014, as part of the Affordable Care Act, CMS issued a final rule that will help to ensure that older Americans and people living with disabilities have full access programs in the most integrated settings within the community. Under … Read More