FADAA
JULY 2016 INSIDER
Orlando FADAA/FBHA members became deeply involved in the aftermath of the June 12th Pulse Nightclub shooting. Read how they responded and what they continue to do in the feature article below.
Florida’s Premier Behavioral Health Annual Conference 2016 registration and sponsorship is exceeding expectations. We are looking forward to this energizing event. This month we are highlighting the conference Prevention Track.
The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act passed the U.S. House earlier today and is on its way to the Senate for a vote next week. Find out what this comprehensive bill covers in an article below. Learn more about the status of the Florida Sober Home and Sober Home Administrator certifications. New in this edition of the Insider, we are providing updates on the activities of the Association’s divisions. Learn what each division is doing and how to join a division(s). Finally, we have included information on a couple of useful resources – a new parity guide and a consumer-friendly YouTube series on opioids.
Orlando Professionals Respond
FADAA/FBHA members provided immediate care and coordination in response to the June 12th Pulse Nightclub shooting. Local law enforcement and community leaders immediately turned to Aspire Health Partners to assist individual, families and first responders as they began to cope with the emotional toll associated with the horrific event. Approximately 70 Aspire staff volunteered and delivered services. Aspire counselors provided immediate crisis intervention for those who were at the club and the victims’ families. They accompanied law enforcement as they met with families to notify them of the death of a loved one. Mobile services for survivors too terrorized to leave home were quickly put in place. Dick Jacobs, Aspire’s CEO, reports that his Central Receiving Center is seeing twice the number of individuals that it ordinarily sees. The acuity level of existing clients has risen and placed greater demands on all of his staff. Aspire is mindful of the impact of the tragedy on its staff, rotating counselors and providing debriefings. Details of Aspire’s Response
Central Florida Cares Health System (CFCHS), the Managing Entity for the Orlando area, led coordination efforts to respond to this crisis. They worked in collaboration with the Orange County Government and DCF’s Central Region to centralize information dissemination related to mental health services. Funding and service agreements are being coordinated through CFCHS. They coordinated scheduling and deployment of mental health professionals as well as managing services organizations volunteered. Maria Bledsoe, CEO of CFCHS, wrote, “the love and respect shown to the survivors and their families, the victims’ families and all of those affected by this tragedy was a humbling experience. Out of tragedy greatness and love prevails.” She would like to share a card and letter of support she received from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Details of CFCHS’ Response
Florida’s Premier Behavioral Health Annual Conference
August 10-12, 2016
Rosen Centre Hotel • 9840 International Drive • Orlando, Florida
Conference Registration
“Be part of the largest behavioral health event in Florida as we unite over 1300 professionals, consumers and stakeholders. The conference provides an opportunity to learn the latest trends, research, and evidence-based practices regarding substance use and mental health disorders. Make plans to arrive a day early to attend one of our exciting pre-conference workshops.”
Mini-Plenary Title: WHY PEOPLE DIE BY SUICIDE
Dr. Thomas Joiner, whose theories on the psychology, neurobiology and treatment of suicidal behaviors have won acclaim, will be a featured speaker at the conference. His interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior has been said to provide an elegant description about what professionals can do to prevent suicide. Thomas Joiner, PhD, The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Florida State University
Prevention Tract - In addition to Dr. Joiner’s workshop, a full schedule of prevention/wellness workshops has been developed for the conference.
· Local Data for Prevention Coalition Sustainability
· State of Prevention – The State and Community
· Science Based Prevention – The Coalition Model
· Nurturing Families Through Effective Parenting
· How Coalitions and Providers Can Work Together to Create a Culture of Health
Other conference tracks include:
· Clinical
· Housing
· Recovery
· Innovation/Technology
· Emerging Trends
· Integration
· Criminal Justice/Corrections
Conference Registration
Register Now for these Member Rates:
Standard Registration (6/18/16 thru 7/31/16) - $250.00
Group Rates (available to agencies registering six (6) or more participants at the same time)
6/18/16 through 7/31/16 - $225.00
Onsite Registration - ANYONE registering after 7/31/16 - $335.00
Marketing Opportunities
Hotel Information
__________
CARA Passes House; Slated for Senate Vote Next Week
Earlier today the United States House of Representatives passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) 47 to 5. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week. If passed, this will be the first free-standing addiction bill to pass Congress in over a generation. No funding was appropriated for this bill; however, the bill does authorize $181 million in new funding. The authorize amount is well below the $1.1 billion sought by President Obama. Advocates pledge to continue to work the budget process to increase prevention and treatment funding in the Appropriations Act. Also this week the House Appropriations Committee released its 2017 spending bill which authorizes an additional $525 million in new funding to address the opioid epidemic.
CARA legislation addresses the following:
1. Prevention and Education
a. Pain Management Task Force to develop best practice guidelines
b. Public awareness campaign on the risks of opioid use
c. Community Based Coalitions Enhancement Grants to address local drug trends
d. Creation of resources to address pain related to youth sports injury
e. FDA Opioid Action Plan
f. Reduce Overdose Deaths Grants to support medication, training, offset co-payments, protocols to connect those experiencing overdose to treatment
g. Direction on NIH opioid research
h. Prescription Drug Medication Program enhancements
i. Grants to states to address opioid overdose reversal by making medication more readily available
2. Law Enforcement and Treatment
a. Opioid abuse grant program to promote treatment as alternative to sentencing
b. Link state law enforcement and SUD agencies
c. Training for first responders
d. MAT operated by criminal justice agencies
e. Expand PDMP
f. Prescription drug abuse take back programs
g. Creating safe containers for opioid medications
3. Treatment and Recovery
a. Grants to expand access to evidence-based MAT and clinically appropriate services
b. Building communities of recovery-grants to recovery community organizations to develop, expand and enhance recovery services
c. Opioid Use Disorder treatment modernization-training requirements, expansion of number of patients, protocols in office settings, and expansion of prescribing options to physician assistances and nurse practitioners
4. Addressing Collateral Consequences
a. Report on collateral consequences of convictions for individuals with non-violent drug offenses and strategies on how to mitigate
5. Addiction Treatment Services for Women, Families, and Veterans
a. Reauthorizes and funds the pregnant and post-partum women’s treatment initiative
b. Clarifies Veteran Courts
c. Calls for plan on infants affected by neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)
6. Incentivizing State Comprehensive Initiatives to Address Prescription Drug Overdose
a. Grant funding for creation of state comprehensive plan to address opioid response
7. Miscellaneous
a. Authorizes partial prescription fill for Schedule II Controlled Substances
b. Report on effectiveness of Good Samaritan laws
c. Program to prevent prescription drug abuse for Medicare Part C and D
d. Addresses exclusion of abuse deterrent formulations from formularies
8. Kingpin Designation Improvement
9. Department of Veteran Affairs
a. Improvement of opioid safety measures for VA
b. Joint pain management task force with Department of Defense
c. Report on use of opioids to treat veterans
d. Requiring community forums on improving care
e. Promotes integrated healthcare for veterans
f. Defines expectations for VA professional staff
g. Caps bonuses for VA Administrators at certain amount
__________
Hill Day 2016
Left to Right – Florida Team with Patrick Kennedy: Natalie Kelly, Steve Ronik, Lisa McWhorter, Grace Maselli, Phil Toal, Maggie Labarta, Jon Cherry, Mary Ruiz, Erik Marsh, Patrick Kennedy, Mark Fontaine, Linda McKinnon, Frederico Hirlemann, Tracy Honkonen
The Florida Hill Day Team visited the offices of Sen. Bill Nelson and Sen. Marco Rubio as well as 24 of Florida’s 27 congressmen on June 6 and 7, sharing the important messages of the need/value of funding and policy support for mental health and substance use treatment services. For the second year in a row the Florida Team was recognized for the number of visits to Congressional offices.
Below are the 2016 Hill Day Fact Sheets that provide a synopsis of issues and recommendations by the National Council:
· Expand Excellence in Mental Health Act (S. 2525/H.R. 4567)
· Mental Health First Aid Act (S. 711/H.R.1877)
· Mental Health Access Improvement Act (S. 1830/H.R. 2759)
· Mental Health in Schools Act (S. 1588/H.R. 1211)
· FY2017 Substance Use and Mental Health Appropriations
· Achieving Comprehensive Mental Health Reform
See National Council President and CEO Linda Rosenberg speaking about Hill Day 2016 on CSPAN – to view segment click here.
__________
President’s Request for $1.1 Billion
President Obama has requested $1.1 billion to expand treatment to meet the need for Americans seeking recovery from opioid dependence. The White House has released a new map which shows how much Federal assistance each state could potentially qualify for, pending Congressional approval.
Learn more about the President's budget proposal here.
__________
FDA Approves Buprenorphine Implant
In late May the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Probuphine, the first buprenorphine implant for the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence. The implant is designed to provide a constant, low-level dose of buprenorphine for six months in patients who are already stable on low-to-moderate doses of other forms of buprenorphine, as part of a complete treatment program. Probuphine should be used as part of a complete treatment program that includes counseling and psychosocial support.
Probuphine, marketed by Titan Pharmaceuticals and Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, consists of four, one-inch rods implanted under the skin on the inside of the upper arm. Because the rods must be surgically inserted and removed, health care providers must complete training and become certified through the Probuphine Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program.
Expanding the use and availability of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) options such as buprenorphine is an important component of FDA’s opioid action plan and a priority of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Opioid Initiative aimed at reducing prescription opioid and heroin related overdose, death and dependence.
“Scientific evidence suggests that maintenance treatment with these medications in the context of behavioral treatment and recovery support are more effective in the treatment of opioid use disorder than short-term detoxification programs aimed at abstinence,” said Nora Volkow, M.D., Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health. “This product will expand the treatment alternatives available to people suffering from an opioid use disorder.” FDA Press Release
_________
Recovery Residence Certification Behind Schedule
Beginning July 1, licensed substance abuse providers are required by law to make referrals only to certified recovery residences with a certified recovery resident administrator. Unfortunately, due to the timeframes set up to implement certification and the ability to get the word out to recovery residence administrators, there were only eighteen certified recovery resident administrators on July 1. By law the Department of Children and Families is required to post on their website a list of certified recovery residences (meaning that both the recovery residence and recovery residence administrator are certified). As of today, there are no certified recovery residences posted on the DCF website. DCF, The Florida Certification Board and the Florida Association of Recovery Residences (FARR) are working together to create and post an accurate list of certified recovery residences that have a certified recovery residence administrator. It is anticipated that the first six fully certified recovery residences will be posted soon.
To increase the number of certified recovery residences, providers are asked to encourage recovery residences in their community to seek certification.
Recovery Residence Certification
Recovery Residence Administrator’s Certification
Application – Recovery Residence Administrator Certification
Providers Meet with State Attorney Aronberg
At the urging of FADAA, the legislature authorized and funded the State Attorney in the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Dave Aronberg, to conduct a study aimed to strengthen investigation and prosecution of criminal and regulatory violations within the substance abuse treatment industry. The study is to identify statutory clarifications and enhancements to existing law to ensure that communities remain safe and individuals with substance use disorders are protected. A report is due to the legislature on January 1, 2017. This effort officially kicks off on July 12 with the first meeting of the State Attorney’s Sober Homes Task Force. FADAA Executive Director Mark Fontaine has been formally appointed to the Task Force.
In preparation for this initiative FADAA arranged for a meeting on June 30 between providers and the State Attorney’s office, allowing providers an opportunity to highlight examples of ethical violations, highlight areas where regulatory and ethical practice clarification is needed, and offer suggestions for ensuring consumer protection. Interested providers will be encouraged to work with the Task Force by offering concrete suggestions on how to fix the problems that are plaguing the industry.
__________
Solutions To Lower Florida Crime Costs
Florida TaxWatch’s new report Lower Costs & Less Crime: Criminal and Juvenile Justice Reform Options for Florida offers ways the state can greatly reduce costs by changing laws and regulations on non-violent offenses. Florida has seen a downward trend in its crime rate since 1990, but the number of incarcerated persons has not similarly decreased. One primary reason is Florida’s law which requires inmates to serve 85 percent of their sentence whether their offense was violent or non-violent.
This TaxWatch report recommends the following:
· Updating Florida’s laws for low-level drug possession offenders
· Restoring judicial discretion for mandatory minimum sentencing
· Developing risk-needs assessments and cot-analysis tools to use when sentencing offenders
· Increasing the amount of usable gain time for nonviolent inmates
· Authorizing the possibility of conditional and supervised release for elderly, low-risk and non-violent inmates
· Lengthening the period of eligibility for and expanding transitional work-release programs
· Promoting strategies that improve released offenders’ employment opportunities
__________
New FADAA, FBHA Boards Elected
Both FADAA and the Florida Behavioral Health Association (FBHA) elected new board members for FY2016-2018 during member meetings on May 24th at the FADAA/FBHA Strategic Planning Meeting. Board composition for both associations changed as a result of by-law changes also approved on May 24th.