Brought to you by your NHADACA Ethics Committee

Top Trump administration officials say drug overdose deaths are surging amid the coronavirus pandemic, driven by increased substance use due to anxiety, social isolation and depression. A White House drug policy office analysis shows an 11.4 percent year-over-year increase in fatalities for the first four months of 2020, confirming experts’ early fears that precautions like quarantines and lockdowns combined with economic uncertainty would exacerbate the addiction crisis.

Click here to read the full article originally published 6/29/2020 and updated 7/3/2020 in Politico Magazine. 

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Strengthening Our Wellbeing during COVID-19

Watch this video to access FREE wellness resources

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Pandemic Stress Hitting Parents Hard

In this interview with Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, chief executive officer of the APA, he states “The mental health ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic are immense and growing . . . . we need to prepare for the long-term implications of the collective trauma facing the population. On an individual level, this means looking out for one another, staying connected, keeping active, and seeking help when necessary.”

Click here to read the full article and learn more about current data being collected during Global Pandemic here in the US and what can be done to help coping with today’s stressors.

Brought to you by your NHADACA Ethics Committee . . .

From Dan Harris, CNN News Broadcaster and author of the books 10% Happier (2014) and Meditation for the Fidgety Skeptic (2018)

Key points for being “happy”

1. Shift thinking from isolation & fear of being part of a global community
2. Meditate to reduce this “anxiety”
3. Best time is early morning while our mind is most quiet (if you are busy during the day)
4. Acknowledge our enemies are also our brother & sister = breathe in and visualize all of this with their anger, suspicious, desperateness THEN breathe out the wish for them to be free of these burdens
5. Visualize these people as our neighbors living beside us right now
6. Whether we like it or not, we must live together
7. Only way to eliminate fear is to replace it with empathic understanding for self & others

Listen to this 40-minute podcast interview with the Dali lama and hear how Dan Harris “unpacks” the nuggets of wisdom from this interview.  The podcast ends with Dan and his meditation expert summarizing the practical steps for applying meditation.

https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/the-dalai-lama-251?utm_source=cv_response&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=hhdl_content

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CARE is launched in May 2020:

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only added to the urgency of working together across the continuum of care, but fueled the demand for new, virtual and online practices. Sometimes opportunity is created amid crisis. Behavioral health industry leaders faced an immediate challenge of unprecedented size, forcing a pivot toward employing technologies to fulfill their roles in providing services to patients and communities to help them heal.

Collaborative for the Advancement of Recovery Excellence (CARE), a vehicle to advance key principles promoting standards in high performance and outcomes measurement in behavioral healthcare was launched in May and calls on behavioral health providers, organizations, and clinicians to be part of the ongoing survey-and-feedback process to continue this important national dialogue. Read the full article with the Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Learning Network to learn how to have your voice heard and see the resulting industry data.

Urgent!

Please support the Amendment to HB 1623, allowing telehealth and telephone options for providers and reimbursement at in-office rates.  

They have made it incredibly easy to sign in and support the bill and the amendment - this will take you 3 minutes. 

Go to: - http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/senate/onlinemtgs/hhs/HHS_Notice_-_06-04-2020.pdf  

Click on the link in #1. You can put in your name and information then select "support not speaking" for both the bill and the amendment.

To submit your testimony to the committee, please send all documents via email to remotesenate@leg.state.nh.us. 

Please use the following talking points for letters of support:

• Clinicians need to be reimbursed by private insurance for telehealth at the same rate as in-office. It is the same work, being done differently.
• We must remove all barriers to substance use disorder treatment.
• Mental health needs are more crucial now than ever before.
• Telehealth is a necessary component to maintaining the mental and behavioral health needs of our NH residents, especially in the many rural areas where clients lack necessary transportation, and inclement weather makes it hard to travel to appointments. 

Remember to put your reasons for this request (number of clients, client needs & safety).

HB 1623 and the amendment to HB 1623 will be heard this Thursday at 8 am in the Senate Health & Human Services Committee   - http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/senate/onlinemtgs/hhs2.aspx

This bill and amendment would put into statute the language of Governor Sununu's Emergency Order #8 and allow reimbursement for clinicians to provide telehealth and telephone therapy at in-office rates.

Warmest Regards,

Suzanne L. Thistle, MA, MLADC

Chair, NHADACA Public Policy Committee

NHADACA.org

On June 9-10, you can support NHADACA as part of New Hampshire Gives, the statewide giving event focusing on state nonprofits and the good they do.

You can help us! 

• Sign up to be a fundraising champion and share YOUR story about NHADACA with friends and colleagues.
  
• Donate on June 9-10. A $250,000 site-wide match will be available starting June 9th at 6PM! That means every donation you make (while funds are still available) will be matched dollar for dollar (up to $1,000 per individual donor). So if you want to give NHADACA $50, but only have $25, give as early as you can!
  
  
• Does your/your partner or spouse's workplace have a matching gift program? You can make every dollar go even further!

Every dollar we receive will go to supporting our work supporting substance use professionals in the state. 

Mark your calendar today, or sign up now!

Creating Connections NH requests your expertise for the development of an Alternative Peer Group model for youth and young adults in New Hampshire as part of a federally-funded project to develop and implement a system of care for youth (ages 12-25) with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders. They would appreciate you taking a brief survey, as well as sharing and distributing the survey with other organizations or stakeholders in NH with an interest in Youth Peer Support, and substance use treatment for adolescents and young adults. We appreciate you completing the survey by Sunday, May 24, 2020.

If you have any questions please email Heidi Cloutier at Heidi.Cloutier@unh.edu.   Thank you! 

STARTS MONDAY...
ATTENDEES DO NOT HAVE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH ECHO

Best Practices in Adoption of TeleHealth: COVID and Beyond mini-series

This series is open to all primary and ambulatory healthcare workers across the globe using or planning on using electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical health care and patient education.  

Telehealth can address COVID-19 and other epidemic situations by limiting exposure to infection for vulnerable populations and health care workers while expanding the reach of resources to communities that have limited access to needed services. This allows patients to receive health services away from settings where the potential for contracting COVID-19 is high, such as hospitals, health clinic waiting rooms, private practices, etc.

Each session will include facilitation by Dr. Sanjeev Arora, Director of Project ECHO and Dr. Matt Bouchonville, Associate Medical Director, ECHO Institute, a didactic presentation, and the following panel of experts for Q&A:

• Joseph C. Kvedar, MD; Vice President, Partners in Health
• Christian B. Ramers, MD, MPH, AAHIVS; Medical Director, Laura Rodriguez Research Institute
• John D. Scott, MD, MSc, FIDSA; Medical Director, University of Washington Digital Health
• Kristin Sohl, MD, FAAP; Executive Director, ECHO Autism

Session 1:     Monday, May 18, 2020    8:00 AM – 09:30 AM MDT
                       Ideal Integration of Telehealth into the New Normal

Session 2:     Wednesday, May 27, 2020   8:00 AM – 09:30 AM MDT
                       Virtual Visits – Maximizing the Experience
                    
 Session 3:     Monday, June 1, 2020    8:00 AM – 09:30 AM MDT
                       Telehealth Technology, Privacy and Payment Policy
                      


Series Flyer

For additional information, please email telehealthECHO@salud.unm.edu
 
                             

This series has been created with the generous support of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation.

Thank you to those who joined us this afternoon for the informational call on the COVID-19 Substance Use Disorder Provider Survey. If you were unable to join us, you can access a recording of the call here: Zoom Meeting (5/11) with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) service Providers in New Hampshire on a critical survey of the financial impact of COVID-19 on SUD providers. Password: 4i.#74%Z

As we discussed on the call, substance use treatment providers, recovery centers and others make up a critical part of the health care field. Information on the financial impacts of COVID-19 on SUD providers must be collected and presented to the Governor’s Office for Economic Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) and its Advisory Committees to ensure appropriate allocation of federal resources. 

Help us in our advocacy efforts by participating in the survey attached below. Robust participation in the survey will be necessary to make a compelling case for financial relief.

Participate in the Survey Here.

We thank you in advance for your participation in this critical effort.

All the best,

Michele Merritt

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Hurry! Registration is FREE for this virtual symposium on May 21 –join for the whole day or for any session you find interesting  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nam-opioid-collaborative-spring-2020-virtual-symposium-tickets-103474408742

Join members of the National Academy of Medicine's Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic on May 21 at 8:30 a.m. ET for a day-long virtual symposium that will address some of the highest-priority elements of the nation’s response to the opioid epidemic, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

During this virtual symposium, experts will discuss combatting stigma against those with opioid use disorder, strengthening provider education, advancing evidence-based pain management, and promising prevention practices, among other topics.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nam-opioid-collaborative-spring-2020-virtual-symposium-tickets-103474408742

Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic Free Virtual Symposium May 21, 2020 | 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET

Register to Attend Join members of the National Academy of Medicine's Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic on May 21 at 8:30 a.m. ET for a day-long virtual symposium that will address some of the highest-priority elements of the nation’s response to the opioid epidemic, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this virtual symposium, experts will discuss combatting stigma against those with opioid use disorder, strengthening provider education, advancing evidence-based pain management, and promising prevention practices, among other topics. Register to attend this free, virtual symposium – you are welcome to join us for the whole day or for any session that you find interesting. Register to Attend Symposium Agenda Keynote The stigma of addiction keeps many people from seeking out treatment, talking about their experiences, and costs lives. During the keynote address of the virtual symposium, two ambassadors from Shatterproof will share their stories and discuss how stigma has impacted them and their families. Session 1 - 9:20 to 10:30 a.m. ET Stigma remains a pervasive barrier to accessing and receiving quality addiction care. During session 1, an expert panel will discuss evidence-based strategies, initiatives, and other critical opportunities to reduce stigma toward opioid use disorder across the health care system and beyond. Session 2 - 10:50 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET It is essential that the health care workforce have the knowledge, skills, and training required to care for individuals with substance use disorder or pain, as well as to prevent and recognize the symptoms of these conditions. Session 2 will feature an expert panel who will discuss strategies to close gaps in health professional education and training to improve care for people with pain and substance use disorders. Session 3 - 12:40 to 1:50 p.m. ET Effective pain management is critical to curbing the opioid epidemic and preventing future prescription drug crises. During session 3, an expert panel will discuss promising practices and critical opportunities to strengthen person-centered pain management. They will also touch on innovations in care delivery and the state of the evidence around opioid prescribing guidelines for acute and chronic pain, tapering guidance, and more. Session 4 - 2:10 to 3:20 p.m. ET Treatment has been a major focus in addressing the opioid crisis, but experts are turning to prevention strategies in hopes of earlier and more effective intervention. Session 4 will feature an expert panel who will discuss strategies and promising opportunities to prevent opioid and other substance use disorders that span clinical care, social and community-based services, policy, and practice. Session 5 - 3:40 to 4:50 p.m. ET The current health care system is not adequately designed to address and promote the holistic needs of individuals with opioid and other substance use disorders. During this final session, hear an expert panel discuss how to build the needed capacity, competencies, quality of care, payment structures, and incentives to ensure effective, quality, and affordable health care for individuals with opioid and other substance use disorders.