NABH Letter to Lawmakers Outlines How to Address Covid-19’s Effects on Behavioral Health
NABH’s Covid-19 task force on Tuesday sent a
letter to Vice President Mike Pence and senior congressional leaders that lists behavioral healthcare providers’ top challenges and recommendations as America prepares for a surge in mental health and addiction issues resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Epidemics, even those of lesser magnitude than the Covid-19 pandemic, cause significant detrimental effects on mental health and substance use among affected populations often for years following an outbreak,” the letter noted. “Recent polls have found that half or more of Americans say the coronavirus pandemic is affecting their mental health with many reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression with high degrees of distress.”
The letter lists key steps to address the behavioral health effects from Covid-19, including: maintaining and improving expansions of tele-behavioral health; maintaining other coverage expansions critical to improving access to behavioral healthcare; improving access to addiction services; increasing access to urgent and acute care for behavioral health conditions; and improving access to care and education for youth with serious behavioral health conditions.
Click
here to learn about NABH’s Covid-19 task force and to access behavioral healthcare resources during the pandemic.
United Nations Releases Policy Brief on Covid-19 and Mental Health
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres this week said mental health services are an essential part of all government responses to Covid-19 that must be expanded and fully funded.
Guterres emphasized that message when he announced the UN’s policy
brief on Covid-19 and mental health and urged the international community to do much more to protect all those who face rising mental pressures.
“After decades of neglect and underinvestment in mental health services, the Covid-19 pandemic is now hitting families and communities with additional mental stress,” Guterres said in a video
message. “Those most at risk are frontline healthcare workers, older people, adolescents and young people, those with pre-existing mental health conditions, and those caught up in conflict and crisis,” he added. “We must help them and stand by them. Even when the pandemic is brought under control, grief, anxiety, and depression will continue to affect people and communities.”
Devora Kestel, director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Department of Mental Health and Substance Use, reiterated Guterres’s message when she said past economic crises had “increased the number of people with mental health issues, leading to higher rates of suicide for example, due to their mental health condition or substance abuse.”
Kestel also said it’s critical to take measures that protect and promote care for the existing situation “so that we can prevent things becoming worse in the near future.”
House to Vote Friday on Latest Coronavirus Stimulus Package
The House on Friday is expected to vote on a nearly $3 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus package that includes several behavioral healthcare provisions.
According to a bill summary, the House bill includes $200 million for the National Institute of Mental Health to support research on the mental health consequences of Covid-19, including the effect on the nation’s healthcare providers.
The legislation also includes $20 million to establish an emergency mental health and substance use training and technical assistance center at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and $50 million for the agency to award grants to states, tribes, and community-based entities to increase capacity for behavioral health services.
In Medicaid, the bill would increase Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, or FMAP, payments to state Medicaid programs by a total of 14 percentage points from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. And it would prevent the HHS secretary from finalizing the Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation until the end of the Covid-19 public health emergency.
The legislation also includes $175 billion for the public health and social services emergency fund, which breaks down to $100 billion in grants for hospitals and healthcare providers to be reimbursed for expenses or lost revenue resulting from the coronavirus, and $75 billion for Covid-19 testing and contact tracing.
The House is expected to approve this bill, although its future is less certain in the Senate. NABH staff is watching the developments in this latest round of negotiations and its implications for behavioral healthcare providers.
Senate Passes Bill to Make National Suicide Prevention Hotline ‘9-8-8’
In a unanimous voice vote, the Senate this week passed the
National Suicide Hotline Designation Act, a bill that would make the national suicide prevention hotline a three-digit number.
Currently the national suicide prevention hotline is accessible through a 10-digit number, 800-273-8225 (TALK). This legislation would allow a person to dial 9-8-8 to access the hotline, although the current number would still work.
The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
SAMHSA Covid-19 Emergency Response for Suicide Prevention Grant Applications Due May 22
SAMHSA this week said it is accepting applications for its Covid-19 Emergency Response for Suicide Prevention (Covid-19 ERSP) grants.
The agency said it plans to issue 50 Covid-19 ERSP grants of up to $800,000 per year for 16 months for the program that is meant to support states and communities to prevent suicide and suicide attempts among adults 25 and older during the pandemic.
SAMHSA’s announcement noted there are currently 57.8 million Americans living with mental and/or substance use disorders and suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States.
“The current national Covid-19 crisis will certainly contribute to the growth in the number of Americans needing urgent care to address mental health needs, including suicidality,” the announcement said. “Americans across the country will struggle with increases in depression, anxiety, trauma, grief, isolation, loss of employment, financial instability and other challenges, which can lead to suicide and suicide attempts.”
SAMHSA will accept applications through next Friday, May 22. Click
here to learn more.
Follow NABH on Twitter and LinkedIn During Mental Health Month
This Mental Health Month, please remember to follow NABH on Twitter
@NABHBehavioral and on LinkedIn at the
National Association for Behavioral Healthcare to learn what NABH members and other organizations are doing during the annual national observance.
Fact of the Week
Opioid use during pregnancy caused a 300%
increase in neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) between 1999 and 2013.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.