Recent News

Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During COVID-19 August 14, 2020 – From June 24 to 30, U.S. adults reported increased adverse mental health conditions associated with COVID-19. Over 40% of survey respondents (n=5,470) reported at least one adverse mental or behavioral health condition related to the pandemic, with disadvantaged populations experiencing disproportionately worse outcomes. […]

Rural Providers Get Creative with Mental Health Outreach Post-COVID August 7, 2020 - Anxiety, depression, and overdoses have been on the rise in North Carolina since the first COVID-19 case was reported five months ago, and demand for mental health services has increased. Some mental health providers across western North Carolina have come up with creative […]

Farm Workers Risk Coronavirus Infection to Harvest Crops August 10, 2020 - COVID-19 related farm stress has been exacerbated during the busy harvesting season. In June, ten temporary workers at the Jones & Church Farms in Tennessee tested positive for the coronavirus. “This was the scariest thing that could happen,” said Renea Jones Rogers, the […]

Kentucky School Mental Health Leadership Academy Thursday, August 6th at 9 AM - 1 PM Meeting Goal: To equip state and district school mental health leaders in Kentucky with best practices, quality indicators, and resources to assess and strategically advance components of their comprehensive school mental health system.   Pre-Work: Three brief, recorded webinars were distributed […]

Editors' Note: This story ran in our August newsletter, published Aug. 6.   The Mid-America MHTTC in collaboration with the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) has released a series of online modules on the National School Mental Health Curriculum.   The modules, based upon a training-of-trainers event held in Iowa in summer 2019, […]

  Editors' Note: This story ran in our August newsletter, published Aug. 6.   The Family Peer Support: An Emerging Workforce webinar, airing 12-1 p.m. Aug. 20, will introduce family peer support as a profession, explore its roles and functions, and highlight specific training needs.   The webinar will feature the following representatives and special guests from the […]

  Editors' Note: This story ran in our August newsletter, published Aug. 6.   The Mid-America MHTTC's integrated care team on July 31 hosted the first webinar in a new monthly series on topics in pediatric integrated behavioral health and primary care.   The first installation, Starting Down the Integrated Care Road and How the […]

It’s been a tough few months for everyone. To hear about—or worse—to watch racial injustice and human indignity fills us with sorrow and anger. While we work to protect our children and try to explain what they may have seen on television or read on their phones, many of us re-live indignities that we or […]

We are excited to announce that the Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC will be hosting a virtual conference, Supporting School Mental Health in the Wake of COVID-19, on August 19th and 20th. Join us for a two-day conference for K-12 educators, staff, and administrators focused on strategies to support student and educator mental health as they […]

Suicide Prevention in Rural Primary Care: Two-part Series This series consists of two, 90 minutes sessions, and focuses on the critical role of primary care providers in suicide prevention. People who die by suicide are more likely to have been seen by a primary care provider in the 30 days prior to their death than any […]

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Latinos are more likely to experience individual and environmental stressors, which can often exacerbate their clinical presentation of mental illness compared to other individuals with mild stressors. As of April 25, 2020, the CDC has reported 895,766 cases in the US; 24% were identified as Hispanics. In about 64.5% […]

The Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (MHDD) National Training Center is a collaboration between the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the University of Kentucky, University of Alaska Anchorage, and Utah State University. Established in 2018 through funding provided by the Administration for Community Living, we work to improve mental health services and supports for […]

North Dakota had Second Highest Rise in Suicide Rates from 2008 to 2018 July 26, 2020 - In 2000, the suicide rate in North Dakota was 10.4 deaths per 100,000 people. In 2018, that number has jumped 84% to 19.4 deaths per 100,000 people. This places North Dakota as the state with the second highest […]

Improving Substance Use Care: Addressing Barriers to Expanding Integrated Treatment Options for Post-9/11 Veterans Veterans who have served since September 11, 2001, are at high risk of co-occurring substance use disorders (SUDs) and mental health disorders. These disorders can have far reaching effects, including difficulty in managing relationships and maintaining a steady job. This report […]

Congress Approves Rural Mental Health Bill as Part of Defense Authorization Legislation July 27, 2020 - The House and Senate recently passed the Seeding Rural Resilience Act included in the National Defense Authorization Act. The Seeding Rural Resilience Act was designed to help farmers respond to stress and decrease mental health care stigma in rural […]

On Thursday, July 23rd, Presidential Task Force on Protecting Native American Children in the Indian Health Service System to release its report.  The report complements ongoing work by the HHS Office of Inspector General, examining the sufficiency and implementation of IHS patient protection policies and procedures. Together the reports will be used to continue to […]

Improving Health of American Indians and Alaska Natives: Q&A with IHS Director Michael Weahkee Rear Admiral Michael Weahkee, director of the Indian Health Service (IHS), answers questions about the health needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Water and sanitation systems, adequate stable housing, and transportation are important issues of infrastructure that impact public health. […]

Rural-Urban Mental Health Disparities in the United States During COVID-19 More than 20 million people in the United States do not have broadband access. In rural communities, where broadband access is less likely, COVID-19 has imposed a different set of barriers to healthcare access. Social distancing can increase feelings of isolation and loneliness and put […]

FCC Designates ‘988’ as National Suicide Prevention Hotline The Federal Communications Commission has adopted rules to establish ‘988’ as the new, nationwide, suicide prevention hotline. By July 16, 2022, all phone service providers will be required to direct 988 calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Suicide has ranked as the tenth leading cause of […]

Tips for Telehealth Billing During the COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted many mental health services that would typically be provided in the office to telehealth visits that can be provided at a safe distance. This primer is designed to help identify the various types of telehealth visits and associated billing codes. There are […]

Training Series: Intersection between Traumatic Brain Injury and Mental Health The Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) is proud to partner with the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) to present six virtual trainings focused on the significant intersection between brain injury, mental health, and addiction.  In this series, participants will […]

Colorado, Like Other States, Trims Health Programs Amid Health Crisis As the recession reduces state revenues and the pandemic increases health care expenditures, states are forced to consider health care cuts and delay new health programs. Facing a $3.3 billion hole in the budget for fiscal year 2020, Colorado is cutting spending on mental health […]

On July 16, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules to establish 988 as the new, nationwide, 3-digit phone number for Americans in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors. The rules require all phone service providers to direct all 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July […]

A two-part learning forum Supporting School Mental Health in the Context of Racial Violence  Supporting School Mental Health in the Context of Racial Violence is a two-part learning series intended for students, families, educators and school mental health professionals who are navigating the impact of racial violence on student mental health. Each 1.5 hour learning […]