The Department of Heath & Human Services (HHS) has published the Final Report from the Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Parity Task Force. Click here to read the report.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is providing up to $77.2 million in funding over several years to programs promoting screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) programs. SBIRT is a comprehensive, integrated, public health approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment services for persons with substance use disorders, as well as those who are at risk of developing these disorders. SBIRT enables healthcare workers in primary care centers, hospital emergency rooms, trauma centers, and other community settings to better identify the signs of underlying substance use problems and provide opportunities for early intervention with at-risk substance users before more severe consequences occur. Full Story

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded up to $49 million in funding for substance use prevention programs over the next five years for state, tribal and community programs aimed at preventing mental and substance use disorders. These SAMHSA grants are geared toward expanding and enhancing behavioral healthcare services for children, adolescents and young adults across the nation. Full Story

Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing faculty Diana Hackbarth, PhD, RN, FAAN, and Fran Vlasses, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN, have been awarded a $928,000 grant over two years from the Health Resources and Services Administration to integrate behavioral health providers into nurse-led primary care teams. The goal is to increase access to care, enhance care coordination between providers and improve outcomes in underserved community-based settings. Full Story

Dr Stephen Strakowski, from the University of Texas at Austin talks about the differences and similarities in managing unipolar and bipolar depression in a video posted on MedScape. Full Story

Computer technology known as machine learning can assess a person’s spoken or written words and accurately identify whether that person is suicidal, mentally ill but not suicidal, or neither. The new computer tool is up to 93% accurate in correctly classifying a suicidal person, reported PsychCentral.com. These results provide strong evidence for using advanced technology as a decision-support tool to help clinicians and caregivers identify and prevent suicidal behavior, say researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Full Story

National Family Health History Day takes place on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2016. During that time families are encouraged to talk about and document their family’s health history. People should also share that history with their healthcare providers to better predict risk for disease and make vital screening and treatment decisions. Click here to access the My Family Health Portrait website.

The American Psychiatric Association announced the launch of PsychPRO, a national mental health registry that will help psychiatrists deliver high quality care and meet new MACRA quality reporting requirements by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, (CMS). PsychPRO will spur future research and develop better ways to treat and prevent psychiatric illnesses. A clinical registry is a system that helps providers easily collect and submit quality reports; in addition, it gives patients a secure way to provide information to their clinicians to track their progress. Full Story

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized its decision to pay for cognitive and functional assessments and care planning for people living with Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive impairments. For the first time, people living with Alzheimer's will have access to care planning with a medical professional. Full Story

NQF’s National Quality Partners (NQP) released an issue brief, Strategies for Change – A Collaborative Journey to Transform Advanced Illness Care. This much-needed resource aims to empower individuals with advanced illness, their family members, and caregivers to lead decisions about their care based on their personal preferences and values through changes to policy, practice, and measurement. Advanced illness may impair daily activities, reduce mental and physical capabilities, lead to frequent medical treatments and visits, and increase the risk of death. Full Story

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is Accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the
American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.