News Mashup for December 2020
CMS Releases Preliminary 2019 Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment and Service Use Data
On December 16, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a preliminary 2019 Transformed Medicaid Statistical Information System (T-MSIS) for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The T-MSIS database provides a means to monitor program performance, utilization rates, beneficiary care costs, and state and federal spending. The system is tailored for use by researchers, elected officials, government agencies, and other stakeholders seeking to evaluate and improve the quality of care for more than 75 million low-income Americans. CMS expects to release the finalized 2019 T-MSIS in summer of 2021. Interested parties can obtain access to the preliminary data by submitting a request to the CMS Research Data Assistance Center (ResDAC) at https://www.resdac.org/. Click on the link below to learn more.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2020), CMS Releases Preliminary 2019 Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment and Service Use Data Tailored to Broad Research and Analysis [News Alert]. Baltimore, Maryland. Retrieved December 19, 2020 from https://www.cms.gov/index.php/newsroom/news-alert/cms-releases-preliminary-2019-medicaid-and-chip-enrollment-and-service-use-data-tailored-broad.
Evidence-Based Resource Guide: Treatment for Youth Suicidal Ideation and Self-Harm
In December the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a report on youth suicide as part of its information series on evidence-based practices and service delivery models. The National Center for Health Statistics has shown that suicide rates for youth aged 10 to 24 is on the rise, increasing 56 percent from 2007 to 2017. The new SAMHSA guide “discusses the prevalence of suicide among youth, effective treatment programs, implementation considerations and strategies, and examples of the successful use of programs in clinical and community-based settings.” The guide is tailored to a broad audience, including healthcare professionals, healthcare system administrators, teachers and school administrators, parents, community members, and policy makers. Click on the link below to learn more.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2020) Treatment for Suicidal Ideation, Self-harm, and Suicide Attempts Among Youth. SAMHSA Publication No. PEP20-06-01-002. Rockville, Maryland. Retrieved December 19, 2020 from https://store.samhsa.gov/product/Treatment-for-Suicidal-Ideation-Self-harm-and-Suicide-Attempts-Among-Youth/PEP20-06-01-002.
SUD Treatment Completion: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth
New research published in the journal Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy analyzes cross-sectional data of 25,587 adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system who meet the criteria for substance use disorders (SUD). The authors, Micah Johnson & Dieu Tran, show that approximately 88% of the study group did not complete SUD treatment. The likelihood of treatment completion was positively correlated with previous participation in treatment programs, previous drug and alcohol class attendance, history of multiple commitment placements, court-directed programs, and strong financial and emotional support networks. The authors conclude that the study results “identify unmet substance use service needs among juvenile offenders” that can be used to “develop organizational and policy changes to combat highly widespread adolescent substance use and increasing adolescent fatalities.” Click on the link below to learn more.
Johnson, M. E. & Tran, D. X. (2020) Factors associated with substance use disorder treatment completion: a cross-sectional analysis of justice-involved adolescents. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 15:92. Retrieved January 28, 2021 from https://doi.org/10.1186/s13011-020-00332-z
Youth Mental Health in 2020: Hope, Advocacy, and Future Action
A new survey by Mental Health America authors Kelly Davis & Danielle Fritze, provides insight into “young people’s wants, hopes for the future, and goals for mental health resources and advocacy.” Filtered through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic, youth reflect on the disruption caused by the loss of loved ones, school shutdowns, social isolation, racial and gender inequities, economic fragility, and other stressors. Giving import to their perspectives, the authors seek to identify programs and ideas that are most helpful to young people’s mental health during the pandemic. Of those surveyed, hobbies (72%), friends (53%), social media (46%), and online communities (22%) were judged highly important to well-being, as well as opportunities to incorporate mental health breaks in school and work schedules. Click on the link below to learn more.
Davis, K. & Fritze, D. (2020) Young People’s Mental Health In 2020: Hope, Advocacy, and Action for the Future. Mental Health America. Alexandria, Virginia. Retrieved January 27, 2021 from https://mhanational.org/node/19156/webform/confirmation?token=SsVjolOczrOWqfTO3_tZ9izg3usb1RtmNkKGxnxubmo.
Update on California 2021-2022 Legislative Session
SB 14 School Employee Training. This bill, introduced on December 7, 2020 by lead author Senator Anthony Portantino (25th Senate District), would require the California Department of Education to identify evidence based mental health training for teachers and school staff and allow excused absences for mental health reasons for pupils.
More Stories in December: Caring for People with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in Primary Care Settings: Proceedings of a Workshop National Academy Sciences - 12.31.20; New Model State Parity Legislation Named in Honor of Former U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad The Kennedy Forum – 12.10.20; America's children are facing a mental health crisis that no one is talking about Salon 12.6.20; Far From Home, Far from Safe San Francisco Chronicle 12.11.20
