SAAS News - 11.21.11


In the midst of so much change and uncertainty, it's nice to have specific reason to pause.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  What can be better than a "forced break" providing a reason to reflect, no hustle, no bustle, just a great meal with family and friends.

 

Most importantly it reminds me to thank you for what you do.  No matter what your role in this important line of work, you make a difference to the individuals, families, and communities that you serve.    

 

While there is still much work to be done as we move our field forward, I hope you too will take a well-deserved break and reflect on all the reasons you have to be thankful.   


 

Thank you for being one of the reasons I have to be grateful. 

 

Becky Vaughn

CEO



SAMSHSA's NEW Regional Administrations

 

 
SAMHSA recently announced the selection of new Regional Administrators. For the first time in its almost 20 year history, SAMHSA will have a presence in each of the 10 Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Regional Offices. This new configuration of SAMHSA staff will help ensure that a voice for behavioral health is present in the regions along with all of the other HHS operating divisions.

 

The new SAMHSA Regional Administrators team consists of:

 

Region 1 - Boston, MA:  A. Kathryn Power; currently Director of SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services.
Region 2 - New York, NY:  Dennis O. Romero; currently Acting Director of SAMHSA's Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse.
Region 3 - Philadelphia, PA:  Jean Bennett; currently Senior Advisor to the HHS Assistant Secretary for Administration and previous Disaster Coordinator in an HHS Regional Office.
Region 4 - Atlanta, GA:  Stephanie McCladdie; currently Director of Prevention Services for the Alabama Department of Mental Health.
Region 5 - Chicago, IL:  Jeffrey Coady; currently National Behavioral Health Consultant for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Medicaid Integrity Group.
Region 6 - Dallas, TX:  Michael Duffy; former Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office for Addictive Disorders for the State of Louisiana.
Region 7 - Kansas City, MO:  Laura Howard; former Deputy Secretary with the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.
Region 8 - Denver, CO:  Charles Smith; currently Director of the Division of Behavioral Health, Colorado Department of Human Services and Deputy Commissioner of Mental Health and Substance Abuse for the State of Colorado.
Region 9 - San Francisco:  Jon Perez; currently National Behavioral Health Consultant for the Indian Health Service.
Region 10 - Seattle, WA:  David Dickinson; currently Director of the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery in the Department of Social and Health Services for the State of Washington.

 

These 10 Regional Administrators as a group bring significant experience to their new positions.  Their biographies can be found at the SAMHSA website (www.samhsa.gov), along with information about which States and Territories will be covered by which regional office, in the coming days.

 

The Regional Administrators will be moving into their positions in each of the HHS regional offices between November and January.  

Acting Director for CMHS Appointed
Administrator Pam Hyde  recently announced the appointment of Mr. Paolo del Vecchio as Acting Director of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS).  Paolo currently serves as the CMHS Associate Director for Consumer Affairs and in this capacity he manages SAMHSA's precedent-setting activities addressing consumer participation and education, issues of discrimination and prejudice, consumer rights, wellness, recovery, trauma, access to treatment, and other issues affecting persons with mental health conditions. 

According to Ms. Hyde, the selection of a permanent Director for CMHS will be an open process looking nationwide to find the best person to lead CMHS going forward.


News Resources: SAMHSA-HRSA Website on Behavioral Health and 

Primary Care Integration

  

HEALTH CARE REFORM

 

SAMHSA and HRSA plan to announce a new federal resource launched to help integrate primary and behavioral health care

www.integration.samhsa.gov

 

Both agencies launched the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions website - a new resource for community-based health care providers working to integrate primary and behavioral health care. Clinical, operational and financing tools to develop integrated care models - primary care in behavioral health, behavioral health in primary care, and person-centered healthcare homes are showcased. In addition to a range of health and wellness resources, users can connect with national experts, as well as one another, to share solutions and best practices.  


New Funding Available for Next Generation of Health Care Innovations
Health Care Innovation Challenge

On Nov 14, 2011  the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the availability of up to $1 billion dollars to be awarded to innovative projects across the country that test creative ways to deliver high quality medical care and save money. The Health Care Innovation Challenge will also give preference to projects that rapidly hire, train and deploy health care workers. 

 

Funded by the Affordable Care Act, the Health Care Innovation Challenge will award grants in March to applicants who will implement the most compelling new ideas to deliver better health, improved care and lower costs to people enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, particularly those with the highest health care needs. The Challenge will support projects that can begin within six months. Additionally, projects that focus on rapid workforce development will be given priority when grants are awarded.

 

Proposals are encouraged to focus on high cost/high-risk groups including those populations with 
multiple chronic diseases and/or mental health or substance abuse issues,
poor health status due to socio-economic and environmental factors, multiple medical conditions, high cost individuals, or the frail elderly.

 

Applications are open to providers, payers, local government, community-based organizations and particularly to public-private partnerships and multi-payer approaches.  

 

For more information, including a fact sheet and the Funding Opportunity Announcement, please see the Health Care Innovation Challenge initiative web site at: www.innovation.cms.gov.  Additionally, CMS held a webinar on Thursday, November 17th, A recording will soon be available. Information can be found here.


Call for Proposals for the SAAS Conference/NIATx Summit

 

Rethinking the Business Model for Addiction and Mental Health Services

SAAS and NIATx are seeking proposals  for workshops for CEOs, senior managers and administrators working in behavioral health care. Conference attendees come from: addiction and mental health treatment organizations, criminal justice, veterans' services, and related fields  

 

New this Year: How-To Workshops

SAAS and NIATx recently held three focus groups with our conference customers, asking them what they needed us to deliver in 2012. They said, "Now more than ever we need help in practical topics, templates, and how-to steps that we can use as soon as we get back to our agencies." That's why we're asking for proposals for "how-to" workshops.

Click here for more information on the Conference and the CFP

 


2012 iAward Application

iAward logoAcross the country, organizations are developing and implementing innovative practices to increase quality service, expand their capacity to serve growing numbers of individuals, and enhance their ability to meet the evolving healthcare environment. Innovations are taking place in every facet of organizational strategy,  
Innovations in these areas are critical to the success and survival of specialty addiction prevention, treatment and recovery services.

For the third year, thanks to support from SAMHSA, the iAward recognizes the important role these innovations have in the future of our field. These are the innovations recognized by the SAAS and NIATx iAward.    

New this year New to the iAward process this year, only TWO (2) organizations will be selected as iAward winners. The selection committee will be seeking top notch innovations. Winning applicants will provide a strong description of their innovation as well as a clearly outlined sustainability plan. In addition to an all-expense paid trip to the SAAS Annual Conference/NIATx Summit in New Orleans, LA, June 19-22, 2012, the top two applicants will be eligible to receive a $5000 mini-grant to assist the winning organization with sustaining and sharing their innovation. Because there are often many strong applications, we will award honorable mentions to up to eight (8) organizations. Honorable mentions will receive one free registration to the SAAS Conference and NIATx Summit.

Click here for more information and the online application.
Tags: