June 2024 Newsletter

Explore new training and resources from HHRC and our partners!

Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Olmstead

This year marks the 25th anniversary of a seminal moment in disability rights history—the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Olmstead v. L.C. —which found that the unjustified segregation of disabled people into institutions constitutes unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and recognized the right of people with disabilities to receive services in the “most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.”

Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a Revitalized Enforcement Initiative, strengthening protections against disability discrimination by bolstering enforcement, compliance, policy, technical assistance, and outreach efforts to support community living. A recent Final Rule issued by HHS in May defined the “most integrated setting” and recognized the many forms of segregation experienced by people with disabilities.

Learn more about Olmstead:

Celebrating Pride Month

Illustration of many hands in all colors of the rainbow coming together

We’re celebrating Pride Month by continuing to support the health and well-being of LGBTQI+ communities.

Learn more about the different ways you can be an ally:

Upcoming Webinar!

Eviction Prevention Strategies

July 16, 2:00-3:30pm Eastern Time (11:00am-12:30pm PT)

In support of the new HHRC Eviction Prevention Toolkit, this webinar will explore strategies for supporting people with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or co-occurring disorders living in community-based low-income housing. Topics include upstream eviction prevention strategies, housing support services, landlord partnerships, rent payment tools, behavioral health strategies, legal tools, and service coordination. The toolkit provides essential information to support stable tenancies and avoid the trauma of housing eviction.

This webinar will be recorded and ASL and live captioning will be provided. Certificates of participation will be provided to those who complete a post-event evaluation, but no CEUs are included in this event.

Partner Resources

Supporting the Peer Workforce

Peer Recovery Center of Excellence: Medicaid Reimbursement for Peer Support Services: A Detailed Analysis of Rates, Processes, and Procedures

This report was developed to provide a state-by-state analysis of Medicaid reimbursement specifically for peer support services, including peer recovery support services for substance use disorders and mental health peer support services.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): Frequently Asked Questions on Medicaid and CHIP coverage of peer support services

These FAQs were developed in close collaboration with SAMHSA to provide clarification regarding federal policy on coverage of peer support services outlined in the State Medicaid Director (SMD) letter #07-011 issued on August 15, 2007, which established that states “have the option to offer [p]eer [s]upport services as a component of a comprehensive mental health and substance use service delivery system.”

SAMHSA Issue Brief: Expanding Peer Support and Supporting the Peer Workforce in Mental Health

This issue brief offers valuable information to State Mental Health Authorities about the benefits of peer support and inclusion of the peer workforce throughout the behavioral health continuum. The document highlights current standards and best practices for including peer support workers as an essential component of service delivery for mental and co-occurring disorders.

New Releases

NAEH: New State and Local Resources

The Alliance has created the following materials to support partners who are scaling up evidenced-based strategies around housing and supportive services.

UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative: Creating Authentic, Effective Partnerships between Organizations and People with Lived Experiences: A Toolkit

This toolkit offers guidance for researchers, advocacy groups, non-profit organizations, government agencies and others interested in, or currently engaging in, meaningful community-engaged work. It presents BHHI’s guide to forming and sustaining meaningful, authentic, and effective partnerships between organizations and lived experts.

SAMHSA Office of Recovery: The Art of Recovery

SAMHSA’s Office of Recovery announced the 2024 Art of Recovery project, which aims to highlight the transformative impact of art on mental health and substance use recovery. Submissions are accepted from May 7 to June 28, 2024 from artists with lived or living experience. Selected artwork will be posted on SAMHSA’s website as part of an online exhibit, Gallery of Hope: Artistic Expressions of Recovery Across the Nation, in September 2024 to celebrate National Recovery Month.

Administration for Community Living (ACL): Supporting Older Adults

ACL recently released its 2023 Profile of Older Americans, a summary of the available statistics related to the older population in the United States. The profile illustrates the shifting demographics of Americans 65 and older and includes key topic areas such as future population growth, marital status, living arrangements, income, employment, and health.

Additionally, the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Healthy Aging and Age-Friendly Communities, chaired by ACL, has released its new report: Aging in the United States: A Strategic Framework for a National Plan on Aging. This report is the initial step in the development of a national plan on aging to improve the experience of aging in America.

Partner Webinars

Webinar: Landlord Behavior and Behavioral Health: Dealing with Difficult Landlords
June 20, 1:00pm ET. SAMHSA Mental Health Technology Transfer Center
Webinar: Rapid Re-Housing: A Proven Approach to Ending Homelessness
June 20, 3:00pm ET. National Alliance to End Homelessness
Webinar: Aging Adults and Medication Use: Staying Safe
June 21, 10:00am ET. SAMHSA Prevention Technology Transfer Center
Webinar: Providing Culturally Responsive Care to the LGBT Population
June 25, 12:00pm ET. SAMHSA Addiction Technology Transfer Center
Webinar: Understanding Prevention Basics for Peer Recovery Specialists
July 11, 11:00am ET. SAMHSA Prevention Technology Transfer Center
Webinar: The Impact of Social Connectedness on Our Health and Well-Being
July 16, 11:00am ET. SAMHSA Prevention Technology Transfer Center
Webinar: Peer Recovery Support Specialists: How Much is Too Much? Determining When and How Much We Self-Disclose
July 17, 2:00pm ET. SAMHSA Peer Recovery Center of Excellence

Please direct questions or concerns about HHRC training events to: info@hhrctraining.org

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove®
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

433 River St Suite 1005
Troy, NY | 12180 US

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.