SAMHSA’s Elinore McCance-Katz Resigns Following Violence at U.S. Capitol
Elinore McCance-Katz, M.D., Ph.D. announced Thursday she is resigning as the nation’s assistant secretary for mental health and substance use, citing the riotous takeover of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
According to her
statement, McCance-Katz had intended to stay in her role at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) until the change in administration later this month. Those plans changed after she returned from a visit to a residential treatment program in New York and saw events unfold Wednesday.
“I believe that we are given certain life situations where we must make the difficult decisions and we get one chance to do it the right way,” McCance-Katz said in her statement. “Because I believe that the mental health of our people has suffered so greatly under the stresses of Covid-19, the social justice issues that have been so painful for so many, and now with the rending of our nation over questions raised about the presidential election, I cannot support language that results in incitement of violence and risks our very existence.”
McCance-Katz adds her name to a list of other high-ranking officials who have distanced themselves from the Trump administration through their resignations this week, including Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger, and others.
CMS Issues Guidance on Medicaid Coverage for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance in late December about new Medicaid coverage requirements to treat opioid use disorders (OUD).
The guidance provides information to state Medicaid programs about a new mandatory Medicaid benefit added under the 2018
SUPPORT Act that requires these programs to cover all drugs and biologicals that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved or licensed to treat OUD, including methadone. It also includes information about the medications and treatment services included in this new medication-assisted treatment (MAT) benefit and the locations where MAT can be provided.
In addition, the guidance includes details about other Medicaid authorities to help states expand their opioid use disorder service continuum.
SAMHSA Report Addresses How to Manage Increased Need for Services During Pandemic
SAMHSA has released a 25-page report and plan on how to address the heightened need for mental and behavioral healthcare services resulting from the effects of the Covid-19 global pandemic.
Saving Lives Through Increased Support for Mental and Behavioral Health Needs is a result of President Trump’s Executive Order of the same name on Oct. 5, 2020. The effort is meant to address preventing suicide, ending the nation’s opioid crisis, and improving mental and behavioral health in the United States.
The Executive Order’s goal is to reduce the number of immediate life-threatening situations related to mental illness and substance use disorders, and it also outlines ways to alleviate these ongoing problems.
Most of the report highlights “building on existing strengths,” such as prevention, crisis services, the work of current programs, and more, while the remainder of the report offers recommendations.
NABH Welcomes Jameson Norton as 2021 Board Chair and New Board Members
NABH is pleased to welcome Jameson K. Norton, M.B.A., F.A.C.H.E., who has served on the NABH Board of Trustees, as the association’s 2021 Board
Chair, effective Jan. 1.
Based in Nashville, Norton serves as the chief operating officer of Newport Healthcare, which treats individuals ages 12–27 who struggle with depression, anxiety, and/or trauma-related issues, along with co-occurring eating disorders and substance abuse. Formerly he served as president of Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and Outpatient Services. Norton has served in the U.S. Marine Corps and earned a B.A. at the University of Virginia and M.B.A. at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
In addition, NABH welcomes board members Pat Connell, M.B.A., F.A.C.H.E., C.B.H.E., C.H.C., vice president of behavioral health, compliance and government relations at Boys Town Behavioral Health Division in Boys Town, Neb.; Dwight A. Lacy, M.B.A., group president of western operations at Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare, Inc.; and Susan L. Wright, M.B.A., director of behavioral health operations at BayCare Behavioral Health in Clearwater, Fla.
The association also welcomes Teena Ahuja, vice president of behavioral health at Prime Healthcare in Ontario, Calif.; Joe Pritchard, CEO of Pinnacle Treatment Centers, Inc. in Mount Laurel, N.J.; and Patricia Rehmer, M.S.N., A.C.H.E., president, behavioral health network and senior vice president of Hartford HealthCare, who have joined as automatic board seat members.
John Snook to Join NABH as Director of Government Relations and Strategic Initiatives
John Snook will join the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) as director of government relations and strategic initiatives on Jan. 18.
John comes to NABH from the Treatment Advocacy Center, where he served as the mental health advocacy organization’s executive director since 2015. He also brings with him more than 15 years of advocacy and policy experience at the state and federal levels. The Treatment Advocacy Center’s influence has been far-reaching: more than half of the states have reformed their mental health laws due in large part to the Center’s advocacy efforts, and the group’s original research on issues such as criminalization of mental illness has rewritten the national narrative on severe mental illness treatment.
During his tenure as executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center, John secured more than $70 million in federal funding for assisted outpatient treatment programs across the country, guided advocacy efforts that led to bipartisan mental health reforms in the
21st Century Cures Act; directed the publication of 15 major research reports; and oversaw the passage of 44 new laws designed to improve access to treatment for people with severe mental illness.
“John is well-respected in Washington for his strong commitment to improving behavioral healthcare access and services in the United States,” said NABH President and CEO Shawn Coughlin. “We are excited and fortunate to welcome him to NABH,” he added. “Our national membership and Washington-based team will benefit greatly from his knowledge, experience, and ideas.”
John’s interest in mental health began when he was in law school and saw a loved one struggle with mental illness. He championed mental illness reform, working first with the West Virginia Supreme Court on mental health issues, and then as an advocate at the Treatment Advocacy Center.
John earned a B.A. from Washington & Jefferson College and a J.D. from the George Mason School of Law.
Center for Connected Health Policy to Host Telehealth Policy Webinar on Feb. 5
The Center for Connected Health Policy will host
Telehealth & Medicaid: What’s Next? A Roadmap for Telehealth Beyond the Pandemic on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021 at 2 p.m. ET.
The webinar will feature experts in a panel discussion about what the future looks like for telehealth policy in Medicaid. Attendees will hear from high-level administrators and policy staff from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment Advisory Commission (MACPAC), the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, and the Oregon Health Authority.
Click
here to learn more and to register.
Save the Date: NABH 2021 Annual Meeting
NABH will host its 2021 Annual Meeting from Wednesday, Oct. 6 – Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 at the Mandarin Oriental Washington, DC.
The association re-scheduled for this later date in 2021 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. We hope you can join us!
After 2021, NABH will host its subsequent Annual Meetings in June. Please save the date for these future NABH Annual Meetings:
We look forward to seeing you in Washington!
Fact of the Week
In a typical year, Native American youth die by suicide at nearly twice the
rate of their white peers in the United States, according to a story in
Kaiser Health News that cited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For questions or comments about this CEO Update, please contact Jessica Zigmond.