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Criminal Justice

Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

Dear Board Members:

In just a few hours, NatCon21 will officially kick off, uniting thousands of health care professionals online to learn, network and raise their voices. They will also witness an important moment in our history, one you helped shape through your leadership, feedback and support. On May 5, as we close NatCon21, we will officially announce our name change to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

As you know, a lot of time, research and consideration was put into selecting this name. We wanted one that holds true to our history, reflects our role, acknowledges change and honors the contributions of the hard-working members who are the foundation of the National Council. We believe we’ve found it. Our new name more aptly reflects the work we do, ensures greater inclusivity, helps us reach more people in new ways, and better articulates our impact and aspirations.

“Mental wellbeing” makes a powerful statement that summarizes our passion and purpose. It means thriving regardless of a mental health or substance use challenge. It represents resilience, strength and recovery. It’s a phrase that promotes the importance of preventive care and the need to increase access to life-saving services. And it’s a powerful reflection of who we are and what the proud members of this organization do daily.

Moving forward, with your ongoing support, we will own this phrase. We will embody it through our actions. We will build the narrative behind it. And we will commit to making mental wellbeing a reality for everyone, everywhere. That means ensuring equitable access to care, building capacity for mental health and substance use treatment organizations and continuously promoting mental wellbeing as a core component of health and health care.

We are excited to be on this journey with you, and we are grateful for your support as we welcome a new era at the National Council together. For new brand resources, please visit our webpage.

Regards,

Chuck Ingoglia
President and CEO
National Council for Mental Wellbeing
TheNationalCouncil.org

The Employment First Community of Practice will hold a three-part webinar series in May on “Value, Outcome and Performance-Based Payment Methodologies to Advance Competitive Integrated Employment.” The webinars will discuss value-based purchasing for Employment First services that support competitive integrated employment as a priority and preferred outcome for people with disabilities. The webinar series coincides with the release of a comprehensive guide on “Value-Based Payment Methodologies to Advance Competitive Integrated Employment: A Mix of Inspiring Examples from Across the Country.” The guide includes an overview of the topic, best practices, case examples from states and state systems, lessons learned, and future opportunities. Participants will be sent an advance copy of the guide, available nationally after the webinar series.

Register for Part I on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 from 3:00 pm–4:30 pm ET: “Value, Outcome and Performance-Based Payment Methodologies to Advance Competitive Integrated Employment in State Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Systems and Managed Care LTSS Systems”

Register for Part II on Wednesday, May 12, 2021 from 3:00 pm–4:00 pm ET: “Supporting Employment Service Providers to Succeed and Prosper by Partnering to Advance Competitive Integrated Employment: Applying Value, Outcome and Performance-Based Payment Methodologies”

Register for Part III on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 from 3:00 pm–4:30 pm ET: “Advancing Competitive Integrated Employment: Value, Outcome and Performance-Based Payment Methodologies in State Vocational Rehabilitation and Behavioral Health Systems”

On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a revised guidance for COVID-19 long-term care (LTC) facility testing requirements for both staff and residents. These revisions apply to the original guidance that was issued on August 25, 2020 and focus primarily on testing and vaccinations. CMS also revised the nursing home visitation guidance during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), which includes the impact of the COVID-19 vaccination.

Based on these recent revisions, the Department of Human Services (DHS) encourages all personal care homes (PCHs) and Assisted Living Residences to implement the policies contained in these revised guidances immediately. DHS will issue updated guidance in the near future. Questions about these revisions should be directed to ARL Headquarters.

The Council on Brain Injury (CoBI) has announced their next lecture in their clinical forum series. This upcoming lecture, “Telehealth & Brain Injury Rehabilitation,” is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, 2021 from 3:30 pm–5:00 pm and will present a review of the literature and specific case examples regarding delivering services to individuals with brain injury via telehealth. The results of a nationwide telehealth survey, developed by staff from Centre for Neuro Skills (CNS) and the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), for post-acute brain injury rehabilitation providers will be presented.

A live question and answer session will follow the presentation. The lecture is free of charge; however, registration is required. Questions should be directed to MJ Schmidt.