In 2014, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a treatment improvement protocol manual entitled Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services, as well as Concept of Trauma, which served as a landmark publication that has influenced service provision beyond the areas of behavioral health and health care. Trauma continues to be a cross-SAMHSA priority, given its significant role in behavioral health prevention, treatment, and recovery. This updated guide expands the discussion presented in SAMHSA’s earlier resources, specifically focusing on tools and strategies for implementing a trauma-informed approach (TIA). The guide highlights the need for organizational assessment of readiness and capacity before implementing TIA and describes strategies for such assessments.

This alert is to ensure that NO family served by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) loses their medical coverage because of a lack of knowledge about the renewal process. Resources to support agencies as they help individuals renew coverage are provided below.

The key information that families need to receive:

• UPDATE contact information with the State Medicaid agency.
• RESPOND to the Medicaid renewal form when it comes in the mail. If they don't, they may lose their coverage even if they are still eligible.
• PARENTS should respond even if they are not eligible or enrolled in other coverage. Their children could still be eligible for coverage.
• CHECK OTHER OPTIONS: If no longer eligible for Medicaid, they should check if they can get coverage through their employer or through the Affordable Care Act Marketplace at www.healthcare.gov.
• To receive state-specific Medicaid renewal templates to help get the word out about the above information, contact a local Medicaid official.

For individual outreach, please consider these resources for office posting and distribution:

• State-specific Unwinding Flyers (in English and Spanish)
• State-specific information to help families update their contact information.

The Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services has developed a Communications Toolkit to help people with Medicaid or CHIP take steps to renew their health coverage or find other coverage options. This Toolkit includes important messages and sample materials (drop-in articles, social media messages, and flyers).

Looking for something that can give specific actions to different community partners? This Call to Action lets different groups (e.g., states, unions, employers, the health care community) know what they can do to spread the word and get people's heath care renewed.

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will host a virtual training on anxiety and depression in children and youth designed for parents and caregivers on July 19, 2023, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET. This training will provide:

• Information on anxiety and depression in children and youth from parents, caregivers, and behavioral health professionals;
• Useful skills to recognize and respond to children and youth managing anxiety and depression;
• Information on how to access mental health resources and guidance to help children and families; and 
• An overview of resources available to support parents and caregivers.

The training is a continuation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' efforts to provide important and useful information an resources about child, youth, and family mental health and includes remarks from ACF Assistant Secretary January Contreras and SAMHSA Assistant Secretary Miriam Delphin-Rittmon. For additional information, see this flyer.

An estimated 80% of the people served by workforce programs are trauma survivors. Trauma changes the physical elements of the brain in ways that create barriers for survivors to participate in their programs and impact motivation, the job search, employment, and job retention. The National Associate of Workforce Development Professionals is hosting a webinar on July 25, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. CDT where participants will be provided with ways to assist people eliminate this powerful hidden barrier to employment. There is a registration fee for participation.

Mothers living in poverty often face complex circumstances and major stressors that strain mental health and make it difficult to get and keep a job. The Mental Health Outreach for Mothers or MOMS Partnership® is a community-based model for helping mothers with low incomes manage their stress, reduce depressive symptoms, and improve their social and economic mobility. Central to the model is an 8-week stress management course based on cognitive behavioral therapy that is co-facilitated by skilled clinicians and mothers from the community with lived experience similar to mothers who enroll in the program; the mothers with lived experience are called Community Mental Health Ambassadors (CMHAs). Other features of the program include the use of incentives to support regular attendance and providing services in a central community location. The MOMS Partnership was launched by the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut in 2011 and has been implemented in TANF, public housing agencies, and other related programs. The Office of Family Assistance hosted a webinar on June 29, 2023 which provided participants with the opportunity to learn more about MOMS and the implementation experiences in TANF programs. Speakers included staff from Elevate Policy Lab and The Adjacent Possible; MOMS Stress Management facilitators; and human services leaders from Maine, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. Speakers delivered presentations on What is The MOMS Partnership?, MOMS in Practice – Lessons from Clinicians and CMHAs, and Operating MOMS in TANF and Related Programs.

The U.S. labor force participation rate has been trending downwards since the beginning of the 21st century. This paper notes that labor force participation (the percentage of people working or looking for work) plummeted during the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic, representing a decline of more than 8.2 million people. About half of the drop was quickly regained, and participation recovered further in the second half of 2021. About 40% (nearly 1 million workers) of the persistent decline can be attributed to the continuation of pre-pandemic demographic trends. The authors discuss four possible explanations for the remaining 60% of the decline (about 1.4 million workers): cash payments to households in 2020 and 2021 that made it easier for some people to postpone looking for a new job; fear of catching COVID; long-COVID symptoms that make it difficult to work; and changing work-life balance preferences.

This article lists symptoms of historical trauma and cites the negative impact of historical trauma as part of the explanation behind Native American mental health issues. Further, the article identifies examples of trauma recovery programs that are found to be successful for Native Americans and Alaskan Natives. These programs include: Beyond Trauma, a culturally specific recovery group created by South Dakota Urban Indian Health; the Tanana Chiefs Conference Old Minto Family Recovery Camp, an Athabascan alternative to substance abuse treatment; the Red Road to Wellbriety, a culturally appropriate mutual help approach based on Lakota/Nakota/Dakota world views; wellness courts; and Drum-Assisted Recovery Therapy for Native Americans.

This chartbook presents data for all 50 states and the District of Columbia on 15 mental health measures of adults and youth. While the dataset is not a complete picture of the mental health system, the collection of tables and rankings provides a strong foundation for understanding the prevalence of mental health concerns, as well as issues of access to insurance and treatment, particularly as that access varies among the states. Youth data and state rankings in the chartbook cover seven measures: Youth with At Least One Major Depressive Episode (MDE) in the Past Year, Youth with Substance Use Disorder in the Past Year, Youth with Severe MDE, Youth with MDE who Did Not Receive Mental Health Services, Youth with Severe MDE who Received Some Consistent Treatment, Youth with Private Insurance that Did Not Cover Mental or Emotional Problems, and Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance for an Individualized Education Program.

This Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) webpage highlights resources on youth behavioral health from the Federal Government, including: an Advisory from the Surgeon General on Protecting Youth Mental Health; the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Bright Futures Program, School-Based Health Alliance, and Health Center Program School-Based Service Sites; new policy guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; the Administration for Children and Families’ implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act; joint funding from SAMHSA and the Office of Minority Health to strengthen and expand children and youth community mental health services and suicide prevention programs; and new funding under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.