September 27th, 2010
Trickeration appears to be the latest new word created here in America. As I watched football this past weekend at least 3 different sports announcers utilized this word. They shouted it any time a team attempted a tricky move or play. So I was thinking, if it is now acceptable to just make up words, I want to try my hand at it. Here are a few words I think we ought to try:
RECOVERYIST = One who helps those with a mental illness or addiction recover. This can be a professional, family member or a peer who helps others.
GOODER = Better than before, but not really good enough. Like the additional $32.6 million that the Governor gave mental health, that makes funding better than before, but it’s still not good enough.
ADAMHVOCATE = One who advocates adamantly for alcohol, drug and mental health services and supports.
Now you might be wondering what the heck is she thinking, well really nothing; this entire article is just a little trickeration.
Have a great week!
Cheri L. Walter
Chief Executive Officer
Posted in CEO Minutes |
September 22nd, 2010
Recently, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) released results from a survey conducted in August that found confusion among Americans over the national health care reform law’s timeline and measures. Only 14 percent of respondents correctly identified September as the starting month for the law’s first set of consumer protections. The survey found that 50 percent of Americans incorrectly believe that the measures will require employers with fewer than 50 employees to offer health coverage. Americans better understood the consumer protections’ impact on children, with 72 percent recognizing that the law will require insurers to cover all children under 19 regardless of preexisting conditions and 70 percent recognizing that adults may cover their dependent children on their health plans up to age 26. For more information about this survey, visit: http://www.naic.org/Releases/2010_docs/health_reform_confusion.htm
Posted in Health Care Reform |
September 20th, 2010
This past Tuesday, Governor Strickland and Congressman Kasich held their first debate, and what will probably come as no surprise, neither of them mentioned behavioral heath, or for that matter health care at all. This is most concerning when you look at the $8 billion dollar hole that will need to be filled in the 2012-2013 biennial budget. Additionally, Ohio’s Governor will have several important decisions to make in the next several years regarding how we implement many provisions of health care reform. While health care costs across the nation keep rising and the number of people enrolled in public programs or uninsured continues to hit record numbers, health care is not an issue that we in Ohio can afford to ignore. I don’t know about you, but I’d be interested to hear from our gubernatorial candidates their thoughts on the health care crisis and how they intend to help vulnerable Ohioans. I, for one, sincerely hope that this topic will be discussed by the campaigns or at the next debate.
Cheri L. Walter
Chief Executive Officer
Posted in CEO Minutes |
September 16th, 2010
New Census Bureau figures released today, indicate that a record number of Americans are among the ranks of the uninsured. In 2009, there were 50.7 million uninsured or 16.7% of the population. This is up from 46.3 million or 15.4% in 2008. For more information, visit: http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2010/September/16/uninsured-census-statistics.aspx
Posted in Health Care Reform |
September 15th, 2010
On September 23rd several major provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act take effect. These provisions include: allowing children up to age 26 to stay on their parent’s plan; new plans must cover prevention services will with no co-payments or deductibles; insurance companies will be restricted in their ability set annual coverage limits; insurance companies can no longer set lifetime limits on coverage; insurance companies will no longer be able to rescind coverage if you get sick while on their plan; children with pre-existing conditions may not be denied coverage; small businesses will be eligible for new tax credits to offset premium costs; and all new plans will be required to have in place two different ways to appeal a decision. For more information about these provisions that take effect next week, please click here.
Posted in Health Care Reform |
September 13th, 2010
The following announcement was released this past Thursday by the Ohio Coalition for Adult Protective Services
New Online Resource for Adult Protective Services Now Live
The Ohio Coalition for Adult Protective Services (OCAPS) has launched a new website that brings hundreds of county, state, and federal resources to the visitor’s fingertips. This innovative website provides resources to assist the older Ohioan with safety concerns or the family member, caregiver, or other concerned person who worries for an older and/or vulnerable adult. If you or someone you love could be a victim of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, fraud, or exploitation, this website will provide education, information, and quick links and phone numbers for organizations ready to provide help. The site offers instant connections to report crimes, including fraud and scams that prey on seniors. Development of the resource was supported by a Victims of Crime Act Recovery Grant award administered by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and awarded to OCAPS. The Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities provided research and technical assistance for the project. To visit the site, click here.
Have a great Week!
Cheri L. Walter
Chief Executive Officer
Posted in CEO Minutes |
September 9th, 2010
In a new report issued by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), roughly 21 percent of adults and 20 percent of teens were smokers in 2009. The CDC also reports that 98 percent of children who live with a smoker have measurable tobacco toxins in their body. The smoking rate – which fell dramatically since the 1960s – has basically been flat since about 2004. Most experts attribute decreased funding for anti-tobacco campaigns, as well as shrewd marketing techniques by tobacco companies as a main factor in rates holding steady instead of continuing to decline. To read more about this report, please click here.
Tags: CDC, childredn, smoking, Tobacco
Posted in Up to the Minute |
September 9th, 2010
In a new study conducted at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, doctors are becoming more familiar with a new type of self-harming technique used by troubled teens: embedding. Embedding involves taking objects such as glass, wood, or paper clips and placing them under their skin. Parents are unlikely to know if their child is engaged in this practice, but it is generally a warning sign associated with suicide. In the study, researchers found that the children who were embedding had a history of mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety disorders. To read more about this study, please click here
Tags: accidental sucicide, choking game, Embedding, self mutilation, Suicide
Posted in Up to the Minute |
September 9th, 2010
A new study conducted in the United Kingdom shows promising results related to school-based intervention and the reduction in substance abuse among teenagers. In one study, researchers found a 40-55% reduction in binge drinking and cocaine use among teenagers who had received personality-based interventions by teachers trained to deliver the intervention services. Researchers now think that this study can be a cornerstone for a sustainable and cost-effective school-based prevention program. To read more about the results of the study, please click here.
Tags: prevention, Substance abuse, United Kingdom
Posted in Up to the Minute |
September 2nd, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010, a Governor’s press release announced that “Ohio’s mental health system will receive $32.6 million to help provide critical treatment for adults and children with mental illness and preserve jobs in the mental health system.” The funds are being designated from Ohio’s portion of Enhanced Federal Medicaid dollars that will flow to the state as part of a projected $518.6 million in total new funds to offset Medicaid payments. Of the new funding, $30.6 million will be distributed to County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Boards on a per capita basis for community mental health services, and $2 million will be set aside for children’s mental health services.
Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA) President Joseph L. Szoke, Executive Director of the ADAMHS Board for Montgomery County, commented, “We are grateful for this funding that will go directly to Ohio communities to provide desperately needed mental health treatment services and recovery supports like consumer-directed services, employment, and housing that enable so many adults to live productive lives in the community. This means that vital services like crisis care will be maintained to help people avoid costly alternatives such as state hospitals, emergency room visits, and even jail.”
According to Cheri L. Walter, OACBHA CEO, “The additional funding will help to replace the loss of state funds for community-based services. Ohio’s behavioral health system of care has hung on by a thread, and this new funding will allow access to treatment for non-Medicaid individuals and the recovery supports that keep people alive. We are very thankful for these additional dollars; people with a mental illness and their families will truly benefit from the services provided. We know that Treatment Works, and People Recover when they have access to the community-based services and recovery supports they need.”
Tags: behavioral health, crisis care, medicaid, non-Medicaid, Ohio
Posted in CEO Minutes, Up to the Minute |
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