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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released updated National Behavioral Health Crisis Care Guidance aimed at enhancing the nation’s response to mental health and substance use crises. This effort is part of an ongoing initiative to address record-high rates of suicide and overdose, while also building on the transition to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in 2022.

The updated National Behavioral Health Crisis Care Guidance is comprised of three key documents. These are the 2025 National Guidelines for a Behavioral Health Coordinated System of Crisis Care, Model Definitions for Behavioral Health Emergency, Crisis, and Crisis-Related Services, and a draft Mobile Crisis Team Services Implementation Toolkit, which is open for public comment until March 21, 2025. Together, these resources set forth a framework for reshaping community crisis care systems and ensuring timely access to care.

SAMHSA’s framework is built on three foundational pillars essential to an integrated crisis care system:

  1. Someone to Contact — The 988 Lifeline and other hotlines provide immediate, accessible support for individuals in crisis.
  2. Someone to Respond — Mobile crisis teams are a critical component, delivering rapid, on-site assistance to de-escalate crises and connect people with appropriate care.
  3. A Safe Place for Help — Stabilization services offer facilities where individuals in crisis can access care, resolve crises, and transition to ongoing treatment when necessary.

The new guidance emphasizes scalability and sustainability for these systems, equipping state, tribal, local, and territorial governments with the tools needed to design and improve crisis care services. It also provides practitioners with actionable steps for delivering quality care.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, launched nationwide in 2022, represents a significant shift in behavioral health crisis response. The easy to remember three digit number aims to provide individuals with immediate access to trained crisis counselors, significantly reducing reliance on law enforcement and emergency departments for mental health emergencies. The updated guidance builds on this progress while addressing the urgent need for comprehensive crisis care systems.

The guidance reflects substantial input collected through listening sessions, expert consultations, and public feedback. Crucially, it underscores the importance of a coordinated, flexible, and compassionate approach to behavioral health crises at a time when the nation continues to grapple with increasing demand for services.

With public comments being sought on the draft Mobile Crisis Team Services Implementation Toolkit, SAMHSA aims to refine and finalize tools that advance the capacity of crisis teams to stabilize situations and connect individuals with long-term support. Please forward your comments to RCPA COO and Mental Health Services Director Jim Sharp for inclusion in the RCPA response to SAMHSA. This will addressed in the February 18, 2025, RCPA 988/Crisis Services meeting. You can register for the meeting here.

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The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee has released its agenda for the February 5 virtual meeting. The meeting will have no onsite options for attendance and will be held via webinar at 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. You can view the agenda, which includes the webinar link, here.

The key agenda items are:

  • Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) Updates
  • Assisted Living Residences — In Lieu of Services Policy Updates
  • Assisted Living Residences and Personal Care Homes — MCO Updates

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The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) Critical Incident Management Unit monitors provider compliance in the application of guidance specific to critical incident management. OLTL has identified compliance concerns and is issuing the following clarification.

This communication focuses on required critical incident notification by provider agencies to the participant’s assigned service coordinator and the documentation of such notification in the Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) entry. The OLTL Critical Incident Management Bulletin, which is also available on OLTL’s website, indicates the following:

  • Within 48 hours, the Managed Care Organization (MCO), Service Coordinator (SC), provider agency that discovers or has independent knowledge of the critical incident is to submit the First Section of the critical incident report to OLTL using OLTL’s critical incident management system. If the critical incident was discovered on a weekend or holiday, the 48 hours begin at 12:00 am on the first business day after discovery of the critical incident.
  • Providers must inform the participant’s SC within 24 hours of discovering or first learning of a critical incident.

Notification to the participant’s SC that a critical incident was discovered must not be made using the HHAeXchange system. The required notification to the participant’s SC must be made by telephone call, electronic mail communication, or any other method that is agreed upon by all parties involved, excluding the HHAeXchange system.

In addition, the notification by the provider to the participant’s SC that a critical incident was discovered must be clearly documented in the EIM incident report, specifically within the “Agencies Contacted” page. Instructions are below:

  1. Enter the first name of the SC in the Person Contacted (First Name) Field.
  2. Enter the SC’s last name in the Person Contacted (Last Name) Field.
  3. Enter the contact phone number. Note that the email address field is not mandatory; however, it should be completed when notification to the SC was made via email.
  4. Click the SAVE button when all information has been entered.

See an example of page completion below.

Providers who are experiencing difficulty meeting the Critical Incident Management Bulletin requirements may email concerns to the resource account. Additionally, questions related to critical incidents may be emailed to the Critical Incident Management team member identified in any case-specific communication.

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You’re Invited!

Thursday, January 30, 2025
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) would like to invite you to the Performance-Based Contracts Webinar for Individuals and Families. This webinar will provide individuals and families with a general overview of how the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) proposes to implement Performance-Based Contracting for residential services effective January 1, 2025.

Audience: Individuals, caregivers, and families.

Register Here

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Tablet on a desk - Newsletter

The Post on Policy (POP) OCYF Newsletter was designed to inform and update on all things policy in the Office of Children, Youth, and Families Bureau of Programs, Policy and Operations/Division of Policy. This quarterly newsletter highlights policy updates, work group activity, staff contacts, upcoming changes, and special events.

Please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any questions.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) informs all waiver providers and vendors whose last digit of their Master Provider Index (MPI) number is 3, 4, or 5, as well as any new providers who enrolled in the 2023/24 fiscal year, that they must submit their qualification documentation to their Assigned AE and/or ODP’s Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP). Documentation must include a completed DP 1059 form and/or DP 1088 form, Provider Qualification Documentation Record (note: an updated Provider Qualification Documentation Record will be uploaded to MyODP in the coming weeks), as well as any other required supporting documentation.

This documentation is due between February 1, 2025 — March 31, 2025.

Please view the announcement ODPANN 25-008 for additional information and details.

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The 2025 Sarah A. Reed Children’s Center Alessi, Levan, Kebles Forum Diversity Summit is June 11, 2025. The summit provides relevant diversity training that improves mental health service delivery and educational services. This free event is for providers and parents alike.

Workshop presenters will present 75-minute interactive workshops using the Teams webinar platform. Presenters will be supported with optional training in the platform prior to the webinar and will have the support of a Sarah Reed staff person acting as a proctor during the session.

Visit the 2024 Diversity Summit Recap to become familiar with the Summit.

Workshop Proposals are due by March 31, 2025, at 5:00 pm EST.

More information is available here.

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