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CEO Update | 57

America’s Health Rankings’ Senior Report Shows Rise in Excessive Drinking and Depression Excessive drinking increased 12 percent from 2016 to 2019 among the nation’s seniors, while the percentage of seniors who reported a health professional has told them they have depression has risen 19 percent in the last year alone, according to America’s Health Rankings’ Senior Report  for 2019. Produced by the United Health Foundation, UnitedHealth Group’s not-for-profit arm, America’s Health Rankings has provided an analysis of national health for 30 years and relies on health, environmental, and socioeconomic data to determine national health benchmarks and state rankings. This year’s Senior Report included a special comparison of data from 2002 and 2017 to show how the health of younger seniors aged 65 to 74 has changed in the last 15 years. Younger seniors now represent 9.1 percent of the U.S. population compared with 6.4 percent of the U.S. population in 2002. Comparing 2017 with 2002, the report showed that excessive drinking is 42 percent higher, obesity is 36 percent higher, and death by suicide is 16 percent higher. All of the results were not negative, however. The findings also showed that among younger seniors today, the death rate is 22 percent lower, smoking is 16 percent lower, and reporting of “very good or excellent health” is 11 percent higher. HRSA Awards $24 million to 120 Rural Organizations for Opioid Response HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy this week awarded $24 million for the second round of Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) planning grants. Award recipients across 40 states will receive $200,000 for one year to formalize partnerships with local stakeholders, conduct needs assessments, and develop plans to implement and sustain substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD) prevention, treatment, and recovery interventions. The goal, according to a statement from HRSA Administrator George Sigounas, M.S., Ph.D., is to reduce the morbidity and mortality of the diseases in high-risk, rural communities. A complete list of all grant recipients is available here. For more information about the RCORP initiative, please contact the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. Separately, the American Farm Bureau Federation this month sponsored a Morning Consult poll that surveyed rural adults and farmers/farmworkers to better understand factors that affect the mental health of farmers, availability of resources, perceptions of stigma, personal experiences with mental health challenges, and other relevant topics. According to the poll, farmers and farmworkers said financial issues (91 percent), farm or business problems (88 percent), and fear of losing the farm (87 percent) affect farmers’ mental health. Other factors included stress, weather, the economy, isolation, and social stigma. DEA Online Form Available for Physicians Reporting Phone Scams Physicians should be aware of a reported uptick in phone scams from people posing as U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) or other federal agents, and report these practices in the DEA’s online form. Earlier this year, the DEA—an agency under the U.S. Justice Department—warned DEA-registered practitioners and members of the public to be cautious of telephone calls from criminals posting as DEA or other law enforcement personnel threatening arrest and prosecution for supposed violations of federal drug laws or involvement in drug-trafficking activities. The DEA’s warning listed more than a handful of types of phone scams, including callers who threaten arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment, and in the case of medical practitioners, revocation of their DEA numbers; as well as callers who demand thousands of dollars via wire transfer or, in some instances, in the form of untraceable gift cards taken over the phone. HRSA Accepting Applications for 2019 Graduate Psychology Education and Nurse Corps Programs The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is accepting applications for its Nurse Corps Scholarship Program (NCSP) through May 21. 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 fees, other reasonable educational costs, and a monthly living stipend. Help Support Mental Health Month: Promote NABH’s Access to Care Initiative This week marked the midway point for Mental Health Month, which the United States has observed throughout May since 1949 to promote awareness about the importance of mental health as a part of overall health. This year, NABH asks its members to promote this important national observance by supporting the association’s Access to Care initiative. Launched in March, NABH’s Access to Care initiative focuses on two major challenges that too often prevent providers from offering patients a full range of behavioral healthcare services: unjust managed care contracts and countless regulations. Please visit our Access to Care page, where you can find resources to post and share with your followers, including our Access to Care video (which you can post directly to your organization’s website and share with others), our Access to Care resolution, our regulatory report, The High Cost of Compliance: Assessing the Regulatory Burden on Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities, and social media messages, including a LinkedIn article from NABH President and CEO Mark Covall. Thank you for your help and support! NABH Wants to Hear from Your Organization! NABH is eager to feature our member organizations’ good work and innovative programs to help other NABH members learn about new care and business models and practices.Please share with us a best practice or new program that your organization uses to improve patient care, manage your workforce, streamline costs, or all of the above. We will feature your story—along with a photo or other images you provide—in the Member Profile section of our website. If you have a story to share, please contact Cemal Ozgur at cemal@nabh.org for details. As always, thank you for your good work and commitment to advancing NABH’s mission and vision! For questions or comments about CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.