Recovery to Practice
APNA successfully submitted a response to a SAMHSA invitation on Recovery to Practice.  We are pleased to report that APNA has been chosen as one of five national participants in a SAMHSA initiative to transform the concepts of recovery from a set of beliefs to recovery-oriented nursing practices.  As part of this five-year project, psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and peer specialists will research current activities in recovery-oriented care and develop strategies on how best to implement recovery components into mental health provider education and practice. APNA will collaborate with consumers and psychiatric mental health nursing leaders to promote recovery and to develop curriculum and training materials to increase nursing knowledge of recovery-oriented care and how it translates into nursing practice. Click here for Recovery Resources.

CPI: A Great Value!
Do you know where you can get up to 22 continuing education contact hours, question and answer sessions with world class speakers, great psychopharmacology tips, session handouts, 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches included - all for less than $400?? It's the 8th Annual Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute... and as a member, you can get all these things for only $375! Come learn about drug interactions, PTSD, mood disorders and treatment-resistant depression, substance abuse, the pharmacology of suicide, and more. Click here for more information.

NAMI Conference - APNA Members Receive Discounts!
APNA and NAMI are working together. Click here to download a letter about the upcoming NAMI National Conference. APNA members can attend at the NAMI member rate!

Your Opportunity to Influence the Medicare Payment Schedule is Now!
We need your help on an urgent matter. Psychiatric reimbursement rates, which are driven by the Medicare Fee Schedule, are being re-evaluated by a special committee this year after 13-years and the results will drive payment for the next 10-15 years. APNA has been asked to participate in evaluating a total of 15 of the 37 CPT codes-both the evaluation and management related codes as well as the therapy only codes for both adults and children. Please take a few moments to complete a survey to determine your willingness to participate in the study. Click here for more information.

Legislative

• Review the slides and recording from the Council's webinar Healthcare Reform: What Happens Next? This webinar reviewed the major components of the law and discussed initial steps for implementation.
  
  
• Download a Fact Sheet detailing Major Provisions of Healthcare Reform. This summary document provides an overview of the provisions of healthcare reform that are of interest to community behavioral health providers.
  
  
• Download a Fact Sheet on the Behavioral Health Workforce Legislation in the 111th Congress. The U.S. behavioral health workforce faces a shortage of providers and other professionals, particularly for individuals in rural areas, children, and the elderly. This fact sheet provides summaries of all bills introduced in the current Congressional session to address issues related to the behavioral health workforce and includes information about the behavioral health workforce provisions that were included in healthcare reform.

The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation today launched Health Reform GPS, (www.healthreformGPS.org) a comprehensive Web portal that offers users the information and insights needed to cover, analyze and implement recently passed health reform legislation. Full Story

Issues & Events

Companies specializing in medical imaging are pushing to develop chemical agents to detect Alzheimer's disease from brain scans, a process that one day may make it possible to predict who will suffer from the progressive ailment before symptoms appear, reported The Wall Street Journal. Full Story

SAMHSA hosted a recognition ceremony at its headquarters to honor the efforts of a select group of behavioral health facilities that have made remarkable strides towards preventing the use of seclusion and restraint practices. To view the 10 honorees click here.

The Core Fulbright Scholar competition for 2011-2012 is now open. Over 800 grants are available for teaching, conducting research, or combining both in more than 125 countries around the globe. The deadline is August 2. For information on Fulbright Scholar Awards, visit www.iie.org/cies.  If you are interested in requesting information, please write to scholars@iie.org.

SAMHSA, the AD Council and Inspire USA launched a national media campaign for suicide prevention that features Inspire's website, reachout.com -- a mental health information and support service for 16-24 year olds. This is first teen suicide prevention effort from SAMHSA to utilize a national mass media strategy, as well as a robust digital outreach program. The PSA campaign, We Can Help US, was developed from the insight that many young people encounter the same tough times, but many also develop positive solutions to help overcome them. Whatever problem they face, the campaign empowers teens by reminding them that there are ways to get through it and directs them to visit reachout.com to hear stories from others who successfully conquered their tough times. Full Story

A new legal analysis of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) regulations by the DC-based legal and advocacy firm Patton Boggs, has been released by the Parity Implementation Coalition. The analysis provides detailed information about the provisions of the new law and how they should be implemented. Click here to read the analysis.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) released a three-month sample of headlines from national and state media on America's mental health crisis in the face of massive state budget cuts.To view the list click here.

The National Council report, Substance Use Disorders and the Person-Centered Healthcare Home, emphasizes that substance use disorders are often chronic health conditions requiring ongoing care management to help patients manage their medical conditions and improve health status, in order to reduce spending on medical services. Featured case studies highlight how primary care and specialty providers can work together to address treatment needs. The report also emphasizes the importance of preventive care and wellness programs in all settings. Full Story To view the full report, click here.