Senate appropriations committee issues Labor‐HHS bill

The Senate Committee on Appropriations last week released its FY 2020 recommendations for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor‐HHS) Appropriations bill.     

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Trial of Oxycontin: An Opportunity for Treatment Field to Educate Audit: Iowa In‐Prison Treatment Falls Short in Stemming Recidivism Child Welfare Agencies Urged to use Screening Tool for Substance Abuse in Families Substance Abuse Appropriations Continue in Senate When Surveying Methamphetamine, Two Questions May be Better than One Briefly Noted State Watch Resources Coming up     

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Once‐a‐Week Buprenorphine in Physician's Office Found Effective Drug Court Audit Finds Lack of Data on Outcomes Buprenorphine in a Therapeutic Community Senate Committee Votes to Add $30 Million to Block Grant Senate Appropriations for Block Grant and Other Substance Abuse Funding Letter to the Editor Illegal Activity at Maine Clinic Puts Methadone in Spotlight NAADAC 2006 Award Recipients Announced Briefly Noted Resources Names in the News Business Obituaries Coming Up     

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Methamphetamine Takes Center Stage at Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing Alcohol Exclusion Laws Preventing Screening for Alcohol and Drugs in Emergency Rooms SAMHSA Matrix Model for Methamphetamine Treatment Admissions for Drug Treatment Increase for Older Adults SAMHSA Makes Available Treatment Program Guide SAMHSA, ONDCP to Start Campaign Linking Marijuana, Mental Illness Access to Substance Abuse Treatment Reduces Alcohol‐Related Fatalities Most States have Alcohol Exclusion Laws Offender Re‐Entry Bill Shows Bipartisan Support Coming up…     

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New York to Ban Tobacco in Treatment Facilities NAATP, NAADAC Announce Public Policy Collaboration Recovering Alcoholics Who Smoke Have Cognitive Problems: Study Senate Appropriations Committee Says No to Penalty More Committee Language on NOMs For‐Profit Faith‐Based Homes for Offenders in Recovery Briefly Noted State Watch Alkermes Starts Research on New Treatment Medication as Vivitrol Growth Continues Business Grants and Funding Resources Names in the News Coming up     

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Florida Case Highlights Threat to Parity by States and Insurance Companies Large Texas Nonprofit Sees Balancing of Funds, Move to Higher‐Level Staff Arizona Says System is ‘Stable’; Providers Cite Layoffs and Cuts Arizona KidsCare Frozen, Enrollment Down 60 Percent HHS Will Identify a ‘Path Forward’ on SAMHSA Appropriations Magellan Gets SAMHSA Award for Four Arizona Providers In the States Coming up     

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Army Homicide Investigations Highlight Role of Unaddressed Substance Use House Appropriations Committee Clears Field‐Related Spending Bill Treatment Providers Don't Fare Too Badly in Conn. Budget Florida Drug Strategy Sets Goals for Treatment and Prevention Michael Jackson's Death Raises Questions About Abuse Potential of Propofol Briefly Noted State News Resources Call for Comments Coming up     

Sign‐on letter for SAPT increase due March 20

Representatives Paul Tonko (D‐New York) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R‐Pennsylvania) need signatures for their letter to the House Appropriations Committee urging a $500 million increase for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant in fiscal year 2020. “This funding stream serves as the cornerstone of States' substance abuse treatment, prevention, and recovery systems,” states the letter. “SAPT Block Grant funds, which are distributed by formula to all States and Territories, provide lifesaving treatment services to approximately 1.5 million individuals per year. In some States, the SAPT investment accounts for 100 percent of substance use prevention dollars. Unfortunately, SAPT Block Grant funding has not kept up with inflation, resulting in a 24 percent—or $444 million—decrease in actual funding since 2009.” The block grant has been just over $2 billion for decades. The letter requests that legislators fund just over $2.358 million for the SAPT block grant, which is equal to what the House of Representatives approved in the FY2019 Labor‐Health and Human Services Appropriations legislation and a $500 million increase over current funding levels. To sign on to the letter, contact Jeff Morgan in Rep. Tonko's office at jeff.morgan@mail.house.gov or Joseph Knowles in Rep. Fitzpatrick's office at joseph.knowles@mail.house.gov .     

NASADAD pushes block‐grant increase for stimulus 4 bill

The National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) last week wrote to Sen. Patty Murray (D‐ Washington) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R‐Missouri), the Senate co‐chairs of the Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, asking specifically for the $1.5 billion in supplemental funding as provided by the House in the HEROES Act for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant (see “Proposed bill for HEROES Act would give $1.5 billion to SAPT block grant,” ADAW, May 18, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.32722 ).     

FY 2020 Appropriations: Stimulants added to SOR's $1.5 billion

Appropriations bills for FY 2020 released last week detail some good news for the field. In the State Opioid Response (SOR) grants, there would be more flexibility: specifically, these could be used for stimulants.     

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MVP Settles with New York AG on Claims Denied via ValueOptions Can Treatment Capitalize on More Access for Justice Clients? Patient Brokering a Key Problem in Fla. Sober Home Industry NASADAD Testifies before House Appropriations Subcommittee N.J. Task Force Urges Focus on Opioid Addiction in Young People Briefly Noted Coming up     

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Medicaid Cutbacks in Maine Leave Some OTP Patients without Coverage Online Training Helps Providers Learn Billing and Insurance Cough Syrup Abuse: It's the Codeine More on SAMHSA Numbers from 2013 Appropriations Letter to the Editor What President Obama Really Said about Marijuana Briefly Noted In the States Coming up     

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RWJF Departure from Addiction Grants Means $50 Million a Year Less for the Field Addiction Clinicians Tread Carefully Amid Medication Options Recovery Inside San Quentin Prison, Training Inmate Counselors What's Happening on Capitol Hill: Block Grant Appropriations Child Welfare Bill Includes $40 Million for FY 2007 for Treatment Advocacy Alert: Bring Parity to a Vote Briefly Noted Business To the Editor Coming Up     

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SUDs a Core Benefit in Both Health Care Reform Bills, But Hard Work Ahead CSAT Head: Data on Alcohol and Suicide Should Put All Providers on Notice Minnesota Governor to Cut Chemical Dependency Treatment Rates Is Health Care Reform Possible Without Workforce Development? United Nations Report Calls for Increase in Treatment Access DOJ Appropriations Bill Includes Increases for Drug Courts, No MH Merger Briefly Noted State News Business Names in the News Coming up     

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Senate Appropriations Committee Marks up SAMHSA FY 2014 Spending For Parity to Fulfill Promise, CEOs See Fight on Many Fronts AATOD Comments on SAMHSA Draft Guidelines for OTPs Optum, State Suspend N.M. Provider Payments Pending Probe SAAS, Legal Action Center and National Council Form Strategic Alliance Opioid ODs Increasing at a Faster Rate among Women than Men State News Coming up     

Appropriations update: DOJ and ONDCP now funded

President Trump has signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2019, which funds the agencies that weren't funded in last fall's spending bill, which included the Department of Health and Human Services. In particular, for ADAW readers, the spending bill signed Feb. 15 includes the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), and the Food and Drug Administration, which weren't funded before due to the government shutdown.     

SAMHSA to write new application for new SOR with stimulants included

The addition of stimulants as an allowable use for State Opioid Response (SOR) grants will require a new application, which the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is working on, ADAW has learned. The change was in the FY 2020 appropriations bill passed last month by Congress (see ADAW, Dec. 23, 2019; “FY 2020 Appropriations: Stimulants added to SOR's $1.5 billion,” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.32573 ), along with funding for other SAMHSA programs, including the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant (SAPT BG). After the bill passed before Christmas, Washington went away for the holidays.     

Names in the News

Introducing Lisa K. Bernhardt , who now heads her LKB Strategies, which lobbies for public health organizations. For many, she needs no introduction: She has a long history on Capitol Hill and in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Nobody on the Hill knows more about the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant (SAPT BG). From 2010 until last fall, she was the top staffer at the Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education & Related Agencies. Prior to that, she was a budget analyst at HHS for eight years and interned there for two years previously. She knows how things work. When she left Capitol Hill last October, she did so because she felt she could do more good as an advocate helping public health navigate the appropriations process. We have known her for years as a source. Now she is out there helping people work through the systems she knows inside and out. When she worked for the great Sen. Tom Harkin (D‐Iowa), with whom she was in lockstep on policy, legislative language was clear and to the point. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which had been hankering to get SAPT BG money into mental health, was put in its place more than once. There was no tinkering with the law. Thank you for your years of service, Lisa, and welcome to the exciting world of the private sector. To reach her, email Lisa.Bernhardt@LKBStrategies.com .