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OTPs to Follow Standard Care Recommendations for People with Suicide Risk The nation’s opioid treatment programs will be begin following the National Action Alliance (Action Alliance) for Suicide Prevention’s recommended guidelines to care for people with suicide risk in June, the news outlet Stateline reported this week. The story cited statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that found people with an opioid addiction are at much higher risk for suicide than the rest of the population, and that opioid use was a contributing factor in more than 40 percent of all suicide and overdose deaths in 2017. Guidelines from the Action Alliance will become facilities’ minimum standard of care for patients in both inpatient and outpatient addiction-treatment settings, Michael Johnson, managing director for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, which oversees opioid treatment programs, said in the story. “Right now, there’s no real standards for suicide prevention in addiction treatment programs,” Johnson told Stateline. “We want to change that.” The Action Alliance is a public-private partnership that works to advance the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and reduce the nation’s suicide rate 20 percent by 2025. Report Finds Older Americans Turning to Suicide in Long-Term Care Settings A six-month investigation from Kaiser Health News (KHN) and the PBS NewsHour has found older Americans are dying by suicide in the nation’s nursing homes, assisted living centers, and adult care homes. KHN analysis of new data from the University of Michigan data suggests that hundreds of suicides by older adults each year, or nearly one per day, are related to long-term care. Meanwhile, thousands more people may be at risk in those settings, where up to a third of residents report suicidal reports, the research found. “Each suicide results from a unique blend of factors, of course,” the study noted. “But the fact that frail older Americans are managing to kill themselves in what are supposed to be safe, supervised havens raises questions about whether these facilities pay enough attention to risk factors like mental health, physical decline, and disconnectedness—and events such as losing a spouse or leaving one’s home,” it continued. “More controversial is whether older adults in those settings should be able to take their lives through what some fiercely defend as ‘rational suicide.’” CDC Finds Kratom Has Caused Nearly 100 Overdose Deaths in the United States The CDC has reported the herbal supplement kratom has caused 91 overdose deaths in 27 states from July 2016-December 2017. Kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia, contains the alkaloid mitragynine, which the CDC reports can produce stimulant effects in low doses and some opioid-like effects at higher doses when consumed. “As of April 2019, kratom was not scheduled as a controlled substance,” the CDC report noted. “However, since 2012, the Food and Drug Administration has taken a number of actions related to kratom, and in November 2017 issued a public health advisory; in addition, the Drug Enforcement Administration has identified kratom as a drug of concern,” it added. “During 2011–2017, the national poison center reporting database documented 1,807 calls concerning reported exposure to kratom.” FDA Announces Reports of Seizures from Vaping The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced it has learned some people who use e-cigarettes have experienced seizures, with most reports involving youth or young adult users. “Seizures or convulsions are known potential side effects of nicotine toxicity and have been reported in the scientific literature in relation to intentional or accidental swallowing of e-liquid,” the announcement said. “However, a recent uptick in voluntary reports of adverse experiences with tobacco products that mentioned seizures occurring with e-cigarette use (e.g., vaping) signal a potential emerging safety issue.” The FDA said it continues to monitor all adverse experiences reported to the agency about the use of e-cigarettes and urges the public to report any cases of individuals who use e-cigarettes and have had seizures to the online Safety Reporting Portal. DOJ Reverses Course on Funding for Drug Courts that Reject MAT The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) has reversed course on its grant announcement earlier this year that rolled back an Obama administration policy that cut funding to courts denying entry to people on medication assisted treatment (MAT), the news outlet Politico reported this week. A clarification from DOJ this week said it will continue following the 2015 funding requirement after the department received a series of inquiries about the policy. HRSA Accepting Applications for 2019 Graduate Psychology Education and Nurse Corps Programs The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is accepting applications for its Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) program and its Nurse Corps Scholarship Program (NCSP) until May. HRSA’s GPE program trains doctoral health psychology students, interns, and post-doctoral residents to provide integrated, interdisciplinary, behavioral health and substance use prevention and treatment services in high-need and high-demand areas. The program also supports faculty development of health service psychology. According to HRSA, there is about $18 million in funding for about 40 awards, and it will accept applications through May 7. The NCSP awards funds to students enrolled in a diploma, associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree nursing program accept applications for this program if those students commit to serving in high-need, underserved communities. Scholarship support covers tuition, required feeds, other reasonable educational costs, and a monthly living stipend. HRSA will accept applications through May 21. IPF PEPPER Review Webinar Scheduled for April 24 A webinar to review the Inpatient Psychiatric Facility (IPF) PEPPER (version Q4FY18)—released on Friday, April 5—will be held on Wednesday, April 24 at 3 p.m. ET. Click here to register. For those unable to participate, the session will be recorded and posted on PEPPER.CBRPEPPER.org in the “Training and Resources” section. 2019 NABH Annual Survey Available Online Until April 19 The 2019 NABH Annual Survey is available on the association’s website for members who have not completed it yet. Please take a moment to review the instructions for the survey before completing it. Respondents will not be able to pause the survey and start again. Thank you for your time Learn About Baymark Health Services in NABH’s Latest Member Profile! NABH’s latest member profile features Baymark Health Services, which provides evidence-based opioid use disorder treatment. Baymark focuses on providing individualized treatment options that integrate pharmacotherapy, clinical counseling, recovery support, and medical services. The Baymark system treats more than 50,000 patients each day in the United States and Canada. Learn more about Baymark here. For questions or comments about CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.