#Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Oklahoma voters rejected a state question Tuesday to allow for the recreational use of marijuana, following a late blitz of opposition from faith leaders, law enforcement and prosecutors.

Oklahoma would have become the 22nd state to legalize adult use of cannabis and join conservative states like Montana and Missouri that have approved similar proposals in recent years. Many conservative states have also rejected the idea, including Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota last year.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and many of the state’s GOP legislators, including nearly every Republican senator, opposed the idea. Former Republican Gov. Frank Keating, an ex-FBI agent, and Terri White, the former head of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, led the “no” campaign.

“We’re pleased the voters have spoken,” said Pat McFerron, a Republican political strategist who ran the opposition campaign. “We think this sends a clear signal that voters are not happy with the recreational nature of our medicinal system. We also think it shows voters recognize the criminal aspects, as well as the need for addressing mental health needs of the state.”

Oklahoma voters already approved medical marijuana in 2018 by 14 percentage points and the state has one of the most liberal programs in the country, with more than 2,800 licensed dispensaries and roughly 10% of the state’s adult population having a medical license to buy and consume cannabis.

On Tuesday’s legalization question, the “no” side was outspent more than 20-to-1, with supporters of the initiative spending more than $4.9 million, compared to about $219,000 against, last-minute campaign finance reports show.

State Question 820, the result of a signature gathering drive last year, was the only item on the statewide ballot, and early results showed heavy opposition in rural areas.

“Oklahoma is a law and order state,” Stitt said in a statement after Tuesday’s vote. “I remain committed to protecting Oklahomans and my administration will continue to hold bad actors accountable and crack down on illegal marijuana operations in our state.”

The proposal, if passed, would have allowed anyone over the age of 21 to purchase and possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, plus concentrates and marijuana-infused products. Recreational sales would have been subjected to a 15% excise tax on top of the standard sales tax. The excise tax would be used to help fund local municipalities, the court system, public schools, substance abuse treatment and the state’s general revenue fund.

The prospect of having more Oklahomans smoking anything, including marijuana, didn’t sit well with Mark Grossman, an attorney who voted against the proposal Tuesday at the Crown Heights Christian Church in Oklahoma City.

“I was a no vote because I’m against smoking,” Grossman said. “Tobacco smoking was a huge problem for my family.”

The low barriers for entry into Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry has led to a flood of growers, processors and dispensary operators competing for a limited number of customers. Supporters had hoped the state’s marijuana industry would be buoyed by a rush of out-of-state customers, particularly from Texas, which has close to 8 million people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area just a little more than an hour drive from the Oklahoma border.

Michelle Tilley, campaign director for Yes on 820, said despite Tuesday’s result, full marijuana legalization was inevitable. She noted that almost 400,000 Oklahomans already use marijuana legally and “many thousands more” use it illegally.

“A two-tiered system, where one group of Oklahomans is free to use this product and the other is treated like criminals does not make logical sense,” she said in a statement.

[ijobcom]

Cet emploi chez Oklahoma Department of Mental … Norman, OK

Consumer Recovery Specialist OKLAHOMA Oklahoma Department of Mental … Norman, OK $17.09/hour On site. Full time Manager Cet emploi chez Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services pourrait vous intéresser :👇 https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3787771825

[theveryfirst]

A brief break

I’m going to be off of Tumblr for the next week in order to focus on some work-related things. I might be back earlier, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up that my head isn’t in writing right now and, instead, is focused on making bread, gaining grain, and all those other wordy things that mean you’re making money. Details below the cut:

I’m working on getting my certification to be a peer recovery support specialist and, after appealing to the mental health community at large, I think I might have found some leads that are going to turn out promising for me. I’m a little nervous because I’m worried that my forward momentum isn’t actually forward momentum and it is, instead, the result of a manic episode. 

I don’t think I am manic, but that remains to be seen. It could just be that I’m not horrifically anxious or depressed so I actually have some energy to do things. If I can get this certification and a job to match it, then I will be working with other individuals with mental illnesses and/or substance abuse disorders and assisting them in their recovery by having lived in the trenches. 

For those of you that were not aware, my last gigantic (unintentional) hiatus was the result of working with the department of human services in Oklahoma. I saw some fucked up things, but I also encountered a bit of a road block: I found that many of our social workers in my state are not only woefully under-informed/misinformed about mental health and substance abuse, but that the size of caseloads discourages people from actually doing social work. 

Despite the rhetoric of making DHS better and more compassionate, the reality of it is a very different fact. Working there forced me to evaluate my desires and capacity, but it also made me realize that my desires are focused very heavily on advocacy in mental health.

Until things shake out, I’m doing deliveries, writing transcripts, and taking product photos. This isn’t gainful employment, and I’m riding the wave of my privilege as far as I can take it and trying my level best to get my shit together. Here’s hoping it all works out!

[fitnessloversharks]

diet therapy for clients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (ibs) includes:

Introduction Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common gastrointestinal (GI) disease. It is also known as nervous indigestion, spastic colon, and functional bowel disease. IBS is characterized by the symptoms of stomach pain and nausea or constipation for a lengthy time period.The cause of IBS is unknown. It is more prevalent in girls and appears to be associated with many things, including diet therapy for clients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (ibs) includes: psychological stress. For many people, IBS is a chronic lifelong illness. There is absolutely no cure for IBS. However, symptoms may be managed with lifestyle changes, medications, and dietary alterations.Anatomy Whenever you eat and drink, food travels through your digestive tract for processing. As water in the waste product is absorbed, the item gets more solid and creates a stool or feces. It is eventually eliminated in the body when you have a bowel movement.After you swallow food, it moves through your stomach and into your gut. Compounds on your gut break the food down into a liquid form. The processed liquid travels from the gut to your small intestine. Your small intestine breaks the liquid down further so your body is able to absorb the nutrients in the food you ate. The remaining waste products in the small intestine travel into the big intestine.Your large intestine, also known as the large bowel or colon, is a tube that's about 5 ft long and 3 or 4 inches around. The appendix is located on the cecum, but it doesn't serve a function in the digestive process.The first part of the colon absorbs water and nutrients in the waste products that come from the small intestine. Since the colon absorbs water in the waste product, the product becomes more powerful and forms a stool.The large intestine moves the feces through the large intestine to the sigmoid colon, where it might be stored before traveling into the rectum. The rectum is the last 6-inch part of your digestive tract. No substantial nutrient absorption occurs from the rectum or anal canal.In the anus, the stool moves through the rectal canal. It passes out of your body through your anus when you've got a bowel movement.Causes It appears that abnormal muscle movement patterns in the GI tract and also changes in the communication system between the mind and the GI tract may lead to the illness.Researchers guess IBS might be triggered by dietary elements such as a low-fiber diet, high-fat foods, carbonated drinks, fructose, sorbitol, and dairy products. Additionally, it appears that certain medications, smoking, smoking, and gastroenteritis may cause IBS. Diet therapy for clients diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (ibs) is more common in girls. Doctors suspect that a hormonal element can trigger IBS. Some women report IBS in the time of menstruation. A lot of people that experience psychological stress, trauma, sexual assault, or intimate violence grow IBS.IBS most often occurs between adolescence and young adulthood, although it may happen at any age. IBS is not a contagious or inherited illness. It doesn't cause cancer.SymptomsIBS causes either frequent constipation or nausea for a prolonged time period. Your abdomen may feel painful or tender. The pain could be relieved after a bowel movement. You may pass mucus with your stool and your stools may look different than they usually do. Your stomach might feel full, bloated, or bloated.DiagnosisYour doctor can diagnose IBS by reviewing your medical history and conducting a physical examination. You need to tell your doctor about your symptoms, how long you have experienced the symptoms, and potential contributing factors.There is no single test to spot IBS. A diagnosis of IBS is made by exclusion, meaning ruling out other diseases or illnesses with similar symptoms . A diagnosis of IBS normally requires symptom length of 12 months or longer.Your doctor may order tests to help determine the diagnosis. Tests may include blood tests, stool tests, and imaging research. Imaging studies commonly incorporate a sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.A flexible sigmoidoscopy can be used to look at the rectum and part of the colon for cancer or polyps. It's approximately two feet long. The sigmoidoscope is placed in the colon, through the anus. This test can be uncomfortable, but should not be painful.A colonoscopy is used to view the entire colon. A colonoscope is similar to a sigmoidoscope, but it is much longer. A colonoscope allows a physician to examine the colon for cancer or polyps. A tissue sample diet therapy for clients diagnosed ibs includes: or biopsy could be taken with the colonscope. A colonoscopy may be uncomfortable, and you'll receive medication to relax you prior to and throughout the test.

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https://techealthinfo.com/oklahoma-department-of-mental-health-and-substance-abuse/  

[united-recovery-blog]

Tulsa drug rehab Facility expanding as meth overdoses Increase

While health officials have been occupied with Oklahoma’s opioid epidemic, methamphetamine has quietly crept back with new, potent doses coming in from China and other nations, prompting a drug rehab in Tulsa to increase services.

Recently 12&12 became the state’s first facility to explicitly treat methamphetamine addiction with a broad spectrum of services, ranging from detox to outpatient treatment to long-term residential care, according to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

The state has been right to concentrate on opioid addiction, for it is a real crisis. Health data has revealed a surprising trend with meth.

According to the state Mental Health Department, meth-related deaths more than doubled in just four years, killing 339 people nationwide in 2018, the most recent year with complete data.

Also, methamphetamine, not opioids, is now ranked as the No. 1 drug of choice among patients looking for help in Oklahoma.

The current numbers are very alarming and continuing to go up.

To combat the growing problem, drug rehab in Tulsa has added detox beds specifically for meth addicts while also adding 30 beds, half for men and a half for women, for lasting inpatient rehab, especially for patients addicted to meth.

Meth rehabilitation can go for as long as 90 days, which is three times longer than the average time a patient stays at our facility.

It takes a while for the brain to heal and reset.

Methamphetamine has long been associated with homemade doses, but now it ships in from overseas in a much stronger form.

It’s incredibly addictive and extremely dangerous.

To pay for the new services, 12&12 drug rehab in Tulsa will use a bigger funding package from the state Mental Health Department. The money is expected to run out by June 30, when the center will need to find a longer-term funding source.

The Mental Health Department, however, wants not only to retain the 12&12 program but also to launch similar efforts at other facilities like ours, United Recovery Project, provided, of course, that 12&12’s program demonstrates to be successful according to the department’s interim commissioner, Carrie Slatton-Hodge.

The department’s interim commissioner stated that efforts to address overdose deaths and opioid abuse have made Oklahoma be among just a few states to see adverse trends reversed. The commissioner is committed to proactively confronting challenges related to meth and is confident similar positive change will be achieved.

Get Started Today

Give us a call today to get in touch with our compassionate staff, who will answer any questions you have and advise you on good personalized treatment plans that will address your needs and set you on a path to lasting recovery.

[dehartfoto]

Today I was recognized for 15 years of service to the State of Oklahoma (14 of which has been with the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services). I was the photographer today so when it got to me we just took a selfie with my executive director and our commissioner. I’m grateful to be part of the mission of COCMHC and tickled that I got this recognition at our 50th anniversary celebration. #COCMHC50 https://www.instagram.com/p/B27WRCphG1c/?igshid=1g5dliwkepmy4

[tclar02n-blog]

Wanted to share with you a press release sent out by my minority leader-

In light of the announcement today by the Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS), House Minority Leader Scott Inman issued the following statement and update on budget negotiations:

“The refusal on the part of legislative leaders to support a bipartisan budget solution that fairly spreads the burden of raising adequate revenue to prevent the dangerous and harmful cuts to core services borders on immoral.

We have entered the fourth week of special session. It has been nearly ten weeks since the Supreme Court ruled the cigarette fee unconstitutional and yet the citizens of Oklahoma still wait for this legislature to do its job and properly fund vital programs like those offered through the ODMHSAS.

Here’s where we are at: I was optimistic when more than a month ago Governor Fallin presented legislators with a proposed budget compromise raising nearly $600 million in recurring revenues that included a 5% gross production tax on new wells, a restoration of income tax cuts on high earners coupled with a fuel and cigarette tax increase. Unfortunately, while my entire caucus stood ready to support the plan, House Republican leadership couldn’t convince their membership to compromise for the good of the state. A major sticking point revolved around their reticence to increase the GPT to 5%.

My frustrations were eased when, just more than a week ago, on Sunday October 8th, members of my leadership team and I met with Speaker McCall and members of his leadership team. After a productive conversation, we were presented with another bipartisan compromise plan. The Speaker offered us a grand bargain consisting of two parts. The plan would increase income taxes on high earners, restore the Earned Income Tax Credit for working families, in exchange for support for a $1.50 cigarette tax increase. Additionally, the plan eliminated the sales tax exemption on wind, increased the fuel tax by 6 cents per gallon, in exchange for a 5% gross production tax on new oil and gas wells. In total, the plan would raise nearly $500 million of recurring revenue, prevent further cuts to core services, and offer Oklahoma’s underpaid teachers a $2,000 pay raise.

I took the proposal to my caucus the following day, Monday October 9th. That afternoon, I contacted the Speaker’s leadership team and informed them that while my caucus didn’t like certain components of their offer, all 28 members of my team were nevertheless ready to vote in favor of the agreement. It was then that I was told that when the plan was presented to House Republican members by phone, they couldn’t find 48 of their 72 members, the necessary number to pass the legislation, willing to support their offer. Again, I was told that, even though the Speaker’s team had offered it as part of the compromise, a 5% GPT on new wells was simply unacceptable to House Republican Leadership. On behalf of my caucus, I then offered to accept 4.5% on new wells for the first 18 months of the well or even 4% for the first 12 months of the well. All offers at compromise were dismissed.

People are hurting. Core services are being starved. It’s not an exaggeration to say that lives hang in the balance. While I understand that some members may not want to ask the oil and gas industry to pay a little more to help the state out of this mess and would rather just ask middle class families to pay more for fuel and cigarettes, the solution to our problems must share the burden and responsibility fairly and evenly.

My caucus stands ready to support either the Governor’s bipartisan compromise plan or the Speaker’s bipartisan compromise plan. We have accepted their proposals. We will stand at the altar until legislative leaders decide to put partisan bickering and powerful special interests aside and join us. Oklahomans can’t wait any longer."

[pharmaphorumuk]

All eyes on Oklahoma as J&J awaits $17bn opioid case verdict

The multibillion dollar opioid liability lawsuit filed by the state of Oklahoma against Johnson & Johnson came to an end yesterday after seven weeks, with a verdict due by the end of next month.

Lawyers representing Oklahoma are seeking up to $17 billion from J&J and its pharma subsidiary Janssen, claiming the company ran a “cunning, cynical and deceitful scheme” to encourage massive prescribing of opioid analgesics that fuelled an epidemic in drug abuse and overdose.

Attorney General Mike Hunter said its case had shown J&J was “the Kingpin” behind the opioid crisis and “must be held accountable for the public nuisance they caused and ordered to abate it.”

J&J meanwhile insisted it was a minor player in the market, with low sales of opioids, and was providing its products within federal and state laws to people with debilitating chronic pain.

In response, Hunter and Oklahoma’s attorneys have claimed that J&J supplied more than 60% of all the active ingredients for opioid drugs manufactured in the US, and mounted a 15-year campaign of “unbranded marketing” to drive demand.

The judgment by Judge Thad Balkman is a pivotal one that could set a big precedent for almost 2,000 other opioid liability lawsuits being brought against J&J and other drugmakers across the US. The company is the first to face a judgment rather than settling out of court, having been denied a motion to dismiss the case last week.

The federal government estimates that in 2016 the cost of opioid overdoses, abuse and dependence amounted to $78.5 billion, with a quarter of the total funded from government finances, and many of the lawsuits filed against the drugmakers are seeking big sums to fund state-level rehab services.

Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Commissioner – Terri White – told the court that it will cost more than $17 billion to abate the abuse crisis, arguing that money should be spent “by the company that was a primary cause of it, not the taxpayers of this state.”

In Oklahoma J&J has been left to fight on alone after two other defendants, Purdue Pharma and Teva, settled the litigation for $270 million and $85 million, respectively. In 2007 Purdue also paid more than $600 million to settle a federal lawsuit over its opioid marketing practices.

The three drugmakers are also facing a consolidated action gathering together some 1,500 lawsuits filed by state, local and tribal authorities, which will be heard before a federal judge in Ohio.

It’s facing something of a liability crisis at the moment, with litigation relating to talc, hip replacement and vaginal mesh products all proceeding through the courts.

The post All eyes on Oklahoma as J&J awaits $17bn opioid case verdict appeared first on Pharmaphorum.

from Pharmaphorum https://pharmaphorum.com/news/all-eyes-on-oklahoma-as-jj-awaits-17bn-opioid-case-verdict/

[addictionfreedom]

Heroin Addiction Treatment California

Contents

Alleviate patients' withdrawal symptoms. call

Untreated heroin addiction carries

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[solsticeeast1]

Residential Programs for Troubled Youth in Oklahoma

New Post has been published on https://solsticeeast.com/blog/residential-programs-for-troubled-youth-in-oklahoma/

Residential Programs for Troubled Youth in Oklahoma

Teenage behavioral issues can develop into a variety of problems which may become troublesome in their later adult years. This is why many families seek early intervention for their teens. Unresolved emotional or mental struggles can lead to marital conflict or unwanted career difficulties. Thankfully, there are many options for youth in Oklahoma like the several therapeutic programs where they can get help. They can also receive therapy in residential treatment center programs like Solstice East in North Carolina. Treatment programs are designed to empower youth with the skills and resourcefulness required for a successful life. These inner and interpersonal skills are meant to equip young people with the ability to adapt to school, family, and life challenges that come their way.

Residential Programs for Troubled Youth in Oklahoma

What Families Need to Know: Youth in America

First, families need to understand what behavior changes to look for in their teens so that they can make the right decision for their kid’s treatment. There are many options available for treatment, including residential programs that help empower young people at pivotal junctures in their lives so that they can gain the capacity to meet the many challenges life presents. The following are some of the mental, emotional, and behavioral issues residential programs can help with:

Childhood trauma in Oklahoma is unfortunately higher than most other states ranking near the top in the US. The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services explains that trauma is caused by being exposed to situations where the individual struggles to fully cope with or move beyond. Events which may cause trauma include serious accidents, school violence, medical complications, loss of a loved one, or neglect.

Eating disorders are more common among teenage girls than boys. Emotional or psychological turmoil added to the challenging years of puberty and all the developmental inner changes of self-identity during the teenage years coupled with an unhealthy comparison to peers and other social media idols can negatively skew a teenager’s perception of their own body. Young women are especially prone to thinking of their body image as deficient which can lead to behavioral abnormalities such as anorexia. In fact, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry holds that about 10% of young women suffer from some form of eating disorder.

Substance abuse in youth is prevalent. It is a common reason many families seek assistance from expert medical professionals. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention claim that 66% of youth have tried alcohol by their 12th-grade year, half of high school students have used marijuana, and 40% have tried cigarettes. Residential treatment programs can prove invaluable in struggling youth who carry the burden of addiction.

70% of youth admit that anxiety and depression are major problems among their peers, according to a reported study conducted by Pew Research Center.

Residential Programs for Troubled Youth

Residential Therapy with Academics

Residential treatment programs are designed to heal or resolve behavioral issues while concurrently providing your teen with excellent academic opportunities. This may be an ideal way to help your teen emotionally while being able to finish schooling. Without the help of specialized care, teens might not have the support they need.

An academic and therapeutic environment can provide your teenage student a degree of needed stability which can help them regain the confidence to succeed now and likewise in their adult years. An added benefit to working with a residential treatment program is the clear focus your child can find free from potentially unhelpful peer distractions. The added benefit of regular therapy at the campus can further help your teenager uncover and overcome these issues within an environment of support.

With the help of therapy and well-trained professionals within a supportive environment of residential programs designed to improve the lives of troubled youth, your child can blossom to their greatest potential. Our program at Solstice East is run by well-trained professionals whose purpose is to help teens establish life skills which enable them to make real progress. These daily incremental changes add up over time. The positive nurturing of your youth’s better nature can guide your teen towards a new path of improvement and positive mental health.

Solstice East is a residential treatment program for youth in North Carolina. We serve teenagers from many states to find their way including Oklahoma. We specialize in assisting families that are concerned for their youth and we want to help you.

You can reach our team by calling (855) 672-7058.

Residential Programs for Troubled Youth in Oklahoma

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (2018, March). Eating Disorders in Teens. Retrieved from https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Teenagers-With-Eating-Disorders-002.aspx

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, February 10). Teen Substance Use & Risks. In Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/features/teen-substance-use.html#first-ref

Desilver, D. (2019, February 26). The concerns and challenges of being a U.S. teen: What the data show. In Pew Research Center. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/02/26/the-concerns-and-challenges-of-being-a-u-s-teen-what-the-data-show/

Downing, G. (2010, June 16). Trauma Informed Services. In The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Retrieved from https://www.ok.gov/odmhsas/Mental_Health_/Trauma_Informed_Services/

[douglasacogan]

Fascinating Oklahoma initiative seeking to block non-violent prior convictions from enhancing statutory range of punishment qualifies for ballot

The COVID pandemic has derailed various ballot initiatives in various jurisdictions, but I am very pleased to see this news about the success of one criminal justice reform effort in at least making it to the ballot in Oklahoma.  Here are the details and some background:

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that enough voter signatures were collected to put a question regarding sentence enhancements for nonviolent offenders on the ballot on November 3.

More than 248,000 Oklahomans signed an initiative petition to get State Question 805 on the ballot.

Sentence enhancements allow courts to widen the range of years they can sentence a person to prison if that person has been convicted of another felony in the past.  The state question will ask voters to take that power away from courts when they’re sentencing people who have never been convicted of a violent felony.

A recent analysis from the Oklahoma Council for Public Affairs suggests ending enhancements for nonviolent offenders could cut the state’s prison population more than eight percent in 10 years and save the state up to $186 million.

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections questions some of the study’s findings.

A 2017 report from a task force established by former Governor Mary Fallin found that sentence enhancements were a large contributor to Oklahoma’s disproportionately high prison population.

Because I am not an expert on Oklahoma's current politics around sentencing reforms, I do not have a keen sense of whether this initiative has a real chance of passage.  But I do sense this initiative could and should engender an important national conversation about often out-sized impact of (even minor) criminal history at sentencing.  And in light of this OCPA report stressing the fiscal savings of this reform, it will be quite interesting to see how debates over public safety and state spending play out in a very red state circa fall 2020.  The OCPA report has this summary and concluding thoughts providing its accounting of what State Question 805 might achieve:

Oklahoma criminal statutes typically provide a sentencing range for each offense. A separate law allows even longer sentences—sometimes including life in prison—for persons with prior felony convictions. People convicted of non-violent property and drug offenses are the most likely to receive enhanced penalties under this law and also receive the harshest sentence increases.

State Question 805 would limit this sentence enhancement to crimes that the legislature considers violent.  This should reduce Oklahoma’s prison population by 8.5% over the next 10 years. That would reduce state expenses between $45 million and $186 million, with expected savings of at least $142 million. Taxpayer savings of up to $27 million per year would continue indefinitely into the future.  These funds could be directed to substance abuse and mental health services, victim’s services, reentry programs, or other public safety priorities....

With all of these changes, however, SQ 805 would still only reduce Oklahoma to the fourth-most incarcerated state in the nation.  Rather than the radical reductions opponents claim, this is a common-sense, limited adjustment to drug and property sentence lengths that will make Oklahoma’s failing criminal justice system more efficient and more fair.

Prior related post:

Oklahoma ballot initiative (State Question 805) seeks to block non-violent prior convictions from enhancing statutory range of punishment (from Feb 2020)

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8247011 https://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2020/07/fascinating-oklahoma-initiative-seeking-to-block-non-violent-prior-convictions-from-enhancing-statut.html via http://www.rssmix.com/

[weedcitynewz]

Oklahoma Legislature Votes To Let Out-Of-State Residents Get Medical Marijuana, And To Allow Delivery

Oklahoma Legislature Votes To Let Out-Of-State Residents Get Medical Marijuana, And To Allow Delivery

Maine’s Education Department announced this month that it is no longer eligible for certain federal funds to support mental health programs in schools because the state allows students to access medical marijuana.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) quietly rolled out a new policy last year barring individuals and organizations from receiving grants if they’re…

[wotringmevivianbf70insuranc-blog]

idaho health insurance 2018

idaho health insurance 2018

idaho health insurance 2018

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idaho health insurance 2018

[viralpearl-blog]

Oklahoma nears end to case in trial against drug makers

Oklahoma nears end to case in trial against drug makers

Oklahoma is close to wrapping up its case at trial against Johnson & Johnson, alleging the consumer products giant and its subsidiaries helped fuel the deadly opioid crisis.

Attorneys for the state on Wednesday continued questioning Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Director Terri White.

Oklahoma alleges opioid drug makers caused a public nuisance in the state…

[rolandfontana]

America’s Drug Problem Hits Home for North Carolina’s Cherokee Tribe

Samantha Brawley got hooked on painkillers after high school, an addiction that stole nearly a decade and cost her most of the savings that were supposed to help improve her life.

Finding her next Percocet, and the next, was easy on the Qualla Boundary, the Cherokee reservation home to roughly 8,000 people in the Great Smoky Mountains of western North Carolina.

“I began taking two or three a day for a year, maybe two years,” said Brawley, 30, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

“Then it was as many as I could afford. I’ve done 10 a day.”

Samantha Brawley, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, right, hugs a woman who was celebrating a milestone in her addiction recovery during a peer support group at Webster Baptist Church in Sylva last year. Photo by Travis Long/ TLONG@NEWSOBSERVER.COM

She says she’s been off drugs for two years now. Today, Brawley helps lead a drug-recovery program in hopes of reducing overdose deaths from prescription drugs and heroin.

The Qualla Boundary was one of 10 locations across the country identified last year as a “high intensity drug trafficking area” by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In September, federal authorities arrested 76 people and seized opioids valued at more than $1 million during a raid on the reservation.

The number of patients diagnosed with a drug-related condition at Cherokee Indian Hospital increased 300 percent between 2012 and 2018, according to hospital spokesperson Sheyashe Littledave. Last year, more than 4,500 patients received such a diagnosis.

Now the tribe has joined a federal lawsuit that accuses several drug makers of contributing to the opioid epidemic through corrupt practices, such as shipping too many drugs into the region.

Drug companies are responsible for reporting suspicious orders of opioids to federal officials, said Chief Richard Sneed.

Drug Firm ‘Complicity’

“There’s complicity in this national epidemic because the drug companies were not doing what they were supposed to do,” Sneed said. “By not reporting the predatory numbers it led to more people becoming addicted.”

The plaintiffs want the drug companies to pay for the economic burdens opioids have caused — medical care for addicts and babies born to drug-dependent mothers, counseling and increased needs for law enforcement.

When the U.S. government ordered the Cherokee tribe from its western North Carolina land in the 1830s as part of the Trail of Tears, thousands were forced to march to Oklahoma, where they formed the Cherokee Nation.

Roughly 800 Native Americans stayed behind on the 56,000-acre Qualla Boundary and became known as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Now the tribe’s 16,000 members — many of whom live outside the reservation — make up the largest federally recognized tribe east of the Mississippi River.

Many tribal members live along the banks of the Ocanaluftee River, or in coves and valleys of the mountains. Motorists can see fog rising like steam from the river while driving along curving, narrow roads dotted with flea markets and military surplus stores. In the summer, roadside signs tout watermelons, peaches, strawberries and tribal wares.

It can be hard to imagine that a place so rich in history has become saturated with drugs.

The tribe’s crisis mirrors a larger epidemic: More than 46,000 people in the United States died of opioid-related overdoses in 2017, more than double the number in 2007, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

In North Carolina, fatal overdoses increased more than 22 percent in 2017 compared to the prior year, marking the largest jump of any state except Indiana, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Western North Carolina has been hit particularly hard by opioids. An eight-county region that includes the Qualla Boundary saw 17.7 unintentional overdose deaths per 100,000 people between 2012 and 2016, state statistics show. That compares to 12.2 overdose deaths per 100,000 people statewide.

Using revenue generated by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians has spent millions on medical facilities in an effort to combat opioids.

Tribal leaders opened an $80 million hospital in 2015 and a $16 million residential treatment center last year called Kanvwotiyi, or “a place they go to be healed,” said Casey Cooper, chief executive officer of the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority.

Meanwhile, the tribe’s old hospital building is being transformed into a “crisis stabilization unit” that is expected to open next year for patients with mental-health issues and members who need immediate detox services.

Brawley shows the NARCAN nasal sprays and Fentanyl test strips that she carries while traveling in and around the Cherokee Indian Reservation where she offers support to people struggling with addiction. Ten percent of the tribe’s members received a substance-abuse diagnosis in 2012, the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority reported in 2017/ Photo by Travis Long/News & Observer

In 2017, after learning that more than 600 people living in the Qualla Boundary had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, tribal leaders approved a syringe-exchange program. More than 300 people are enrolled, Sneed said.

“There are so many different areas,” Cooper said. “The opioid crisis has really motivated tribal leaders to invest in the best health and treatment services.”

Sneed said the tribe in 2002 took over the administration of health care from the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Service and created the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority.

“It has worked out tremendously,” said Sneed, adding that the decision was especially important because North Carolina lawmakers have so far declined to take part in the federal expansion of Medicaid. “We found the resources to take care of our people.”

‘Perfect Storm of Addiction’

Tribal leaders say they became aware of the opioid issue about a decade ago when members started dying from prescription drug overdoses. As tighter industry controls were put in place to make prescription drugs less accessible, many people turned to heroin.

“It was a perfect storm of addiction,” Sneed said. “Many of our members became addicted by legal prescriptions. … This is a small, tight-knit community. One death impacts the entire community.”

The tribe noticed a spike in overdoses in the months when per-capita payments were dispersed, said Jeffrey Long, a tribal member who works with the Western North Carolina AIDS project. Adult members of the tribe can receive between $5,000 and $7,000 each December and June, their share of revenues generated by the casino.

When many people received payments last June, Long said, “we had a cook-out to give people something to do, somewhere to come, so they won’t get their first fix.”

Children also get money, which is put in a trust. Until about five years ago, the money was handed out in a lump sum when they earned a high school diploma or turned 18, said Mike McConnell, interim attorney general for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Now the funds are distributed in increments at age 18, 21 and 25.

“The tribe determined that was probably not the wisest thing to do,” McConnell said about the single large payment. He added, “Hopefully, people can make wise choices with the money given them.”

Brawley estimates that about half of the $60,000 she received when she turned 18 went to drugs.

Attorneys for the tribe filed a complaint January 2018 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. The lawsuit claimed that drug companies conspired to target the tribe through deceptive marketing practices and persuaded doctors to prescribe highly addictive painkillers.

The tribe’s lawsuit became part of the National Prescription Opiate Litigation, which includes more than 400 federal lawsuits filed by cities, counties and Native American tribes against the largest opioid manufacturers, companies that distribute opioids and pharmacy chains that sell them.

More than 50 North Carolina counties and several cities — including, Fayetteville, Wilmington and Winston-Salem — are listed as plaintiffs in the litigation, according to the state attorney general’s office. The case will be heard in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein, who has made the opioid crisis a focus for his office, is helping to lead the case. Stein said he wants to crack down on those who are responsible for fueling the epidemic — not only in the streets, but also in boardrooms.

In late 2017, Stein filed lawsuits against against drug manufacturer Insys Therapeutics, Inc. alleging the company fraudulently marketed a spray form of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is about 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Months later, Stein sued drug manufacturer Purdue Pharma, which makes the painkiller OxyContin.

“We want to hold drug traffickers accountable,” Stein said, “but we also believe in corporate accountability.”

 ‘Praying for a Miracle’

One afternoon in late August, Brawley sat along the banks of Soco Creek in front of her friend’s home high up in the mountains. Dressed in jeans, with a silken blue and pink shawl wrapped around her shoulders, she talked about how opioids have affected her community.

“So let’s see, right now over 15 people I knew personally have died from overdoses,” she said. “One boy died last week. He was 15. That same day we celebrated a recovery, we buried a person on the reservation. The same day we had a recovery rally in July, we buried a girl who had died from opiate use — heroin. She was like 21.”

Brawley said she quit drugs when she got pregnant by her dealer.

“I had been praying for a miracle and I got pregnant,” she said. “And my grandmother had been praying for a miracle. She knew I wasn’t going to stop for … these treatment centers. And I got pregnant and I believe to this day that it was my grandmother who spoke that truth. I have this beautiful child who saved my life.”

Liam was born in 2014. When Brawley relapsed just before her son’s first birthday, she sought treatment at the Mary Benson House, a year-long program in Asheville where children can stay with their mothers. She completed the program in nine months.

“Having your child there gives you a sense of motivation and more determination to do something different,” she said.

Brawley now works as a peer support specialist with Meridian Behavioral Health, an outpatient service in Sylva. Each day she visits clients who are still addicted. She relies on Suboxone to beat back her own cravings, and she said Dec. 30 marked two years of sobriety.

Tribal member Charles Beam, 24, said he was in his late teens when he became addicted to opioids and alcohol. He said he’s been off drugs for more than three years and alcohol-free for a little over a year. Beam and Brawley have been co-leaders at Celebrate Recovery, a volunteer program, for nearly two years.

“She speaks at all the recovery rallies,” Beam said of Brawley. “She’s a big spokesperson for Cherokee and all of the surrounding counties. She’s an awesome role model. She’s come a long way.”

It was important to Brawley to stay on the reservation instead of starting a new life elsewhere. And she echoed the commitment of her tribe’s leaders in their battle against opioids.

“I got high here, I got clean here,” she said. “And I can give back here.”

Thomasi McDonald is a 2018 John Jay/H.F. Guggenheim Justice Reporting Fellow. This story was written as part of his fellowship project. The  full story and a video report is available here.

America’s Drug Problem Hits Home for North Carolina’s Cherokee Tribe syndicated from https://immigrationattorneyto.wordpress.com/

[olgagarmash]

Kansas mental health providers look to the future with new hotline looming and COVID-19 pandemic fading – The Topeka Capital-Journal

Decades ago, travelers entering Topeka would have seen an unexpected motto beckoning them as they pulled into town.

“Welcome to Topeka, Kansas, the psychiatric capital of the world.”

The city’s credible claim to that title was in large part predicated on the presence of the world-renowned Menninger Clinic, whose iconic clock tower loomed in the background of the sign.

Karl Menninger’s eponymous institution was a heavyweight in the behavioral health world, bringing top-flight researchers and practitioners to Kansas, although the facility eventually left for Houston in the 2000s.

In 2021, community health centers in Kansas are seeing a marked uptick in interest due to strain brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and improving attitudes toward mental health more broadly.

That could increase further next year, when the 988 crisis line rolls out, with a goal of making mental health support as easy to access as other core services.

But these forces come after years of funding and staffing challenges. Now, providers are looking to new models as a way to ensure the sustainability of their services going forward.

More:Feeling off? Here is how to know when to seek mental health support and where to turn.

“We have had the history as a state of being a national leader,” said Kyle Kessler, executive director of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers. “And so for us to get the infrastructure back in terms of our workforce and our priorities in behavioral health and helping healthcare overall, we can be a national leader again.”

Demand for mental health services on the rise — even pre-pandemic

It is no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted widespread concern about mental health, with anxiety and depression increasing during the last year due to lockdowns and uncertainty about the virus and the economy.

Even before the pandemic, community mental health centers saw a 10% increase in patients since 2016.

Throughout much of 2020, those numbers actually dropped off for some groups, with residents confined to their homes. For providers who deal primarily with children and young adults, schools weren’t in session to refer individuals in need of care.

But that trend is beginning to change.

For Family Service and Guidance Center in Topeka, director Brenda Mills noted that the previous high-water mark for calls to their crisis services line was 89. Recently, that number was over 120.

Karen Smothers, director of clinical operations for FSGC, noted that young people who previously had a difficult time in a school environment actually were helped by the pandemic, as they had less of a need to socialize and engage with their peers. 

Students who needed the most support were those who felt isolated without their usual social and school environments when the switch was made to remote learning.

More:Damon Parker is a championship wrestling coach. He’s battling for his mental health.

Now, with a return to physical classes, albeit with disorienting mitigation efforts, both groups of youths are feeling adrift and in need of support.

“When classes resumed, I think it’s just maybe a clash of everything going on between the youth who were feeling really withdrawn before trying now to resume their routine,” Smothers said. “And then in the meantime, the youth who typically would struggle now are being thrown back in the classroom, and are having those same conflicts again.”

Normally, early summer is a quieter time for the clinic, as school ends and families go on vacation. Not this year, however.

“Right now we’re slammed, we’re absolutely bursting at the seams with referrals,” Smothers said.

‘We need to see real commitment’

It is likely that demand will further increase over the next year, with mental health advocates in Kansas well aware of the national rollout of the 988 crisis line.

Lawmakers approved $3 million to help the three crisis lines in Kansas currently operating expand their staff and infrastructure.

But currently 30% of all calls are sent out of state due to high volume, according to Monica Kurtz, vice president for external programming at the Kansas Suicide Prevention Headquarters in Lawrence.

This often comes down to a lack of staffing. More than 100 hours of training are needed to ensure workers, either volunteer or paid, have the tools needed to answer calls from Kansans in distress.

Sending calls out-of-state isn’t ideal, Kurtz said.

“We do pretty strongly believe that Kansans are best served by Kansans,” she said. “We have a better idea of what goes on in our state, and what resources are available for folks.”

But KSPHQ has seen a 50% increase in calls in recent years, and the rollout of 988 could see that number double or even triple as it becomes more established.

The funding, included in the state budget, puts Kansas ahead of other states in getting 988 up and running, Kessler said.

But Kurtz pointed out that a more aggressive funding proposal — which would add a 50 cent-per-line surcharge on Kansans’ cellphone bills — stalled. The extra funds from that bill could have expanded response services, particularly in western Kansas, she noted.

And while legislators can take another whack at the issue next session, Kurtz said she was uneasy with having to ask legislators to maintain funding each year.

“It’s not enough to just say it with your words, we need to see action,” she said. “This is a critical issue, has been a critical issue for the last decade. And we need to see movement on it, we need to see real commitment.”

Staffing challenges hit providers across Kansas

Advocates argue funding hasn’t kept pace for community mental health providers either.

From fiscal year 2007 to fiscal year 2020, funding for community mental health centers fell by 16%, according to the Disability Rights Center of Kansas. That’s despite those facilities serving 30,000 additional patients.

And funding struggles can mean staffing issues, particularly for facilities that compete with other states to attract high-level practitioners.

That includes Four County Mental Health in southeast Kansas, whose offices are mere miles away from the Oklahoma border.

Executive director Greg Hennen said he had an administrator leave to go across the border, where she made more as an entry-level therapist than she did as a more senior worker in Kansas.

“Right now, yeah, Oklahoma kills us,” Hennen said. “Their master’s level therapists are starting out $20,000 higher than we can start ours out at.”

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About 1.3 million Kansans live in an area where the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services deems there to be a dearth of mental health workers.

Even when facilities have an adequate number of therapists, finding entry-level workers can be a challenge. Mills noted that she often has to compete against fast food outlets and big box stores.

“It was tough before the pandemic, but it has gotten worse,” she said.

For Hennen, the struggles have meant fewer personnel in area schools. While districts might want counselors around three times a week, the lack of staff might mean someone is there only once a week.

And in Topeka, Smothers said they have had to lean on more telehealth and group therapy sessions, at least for some patients, in an effort to triage care and deliver the required services.

“I don’t know what to expect a month from now or two months from now,” she said. “It feels like uncharted territory.”

Could new model boost mental health treatment?

Mental health advocates are hopeful that a potential solution is in the cards.

In 2014, Congress approved an experimental program for clinics, one designed to increase partnerships between mental health facilities, hospitals and law enforcement, as well as offer 24/7 crisis care and beefed-up substance abuse treatment.

In exchange for using proven, evidence-based strategies to advance those goals, facilities would get a higher Medicaid reimbursement rate — meaning more money to boost their bottom line.

Kansas wasn’t an initial participant in the so-called certified community behavioral health center model, but two of its neighbors, Oklahoma and Missouri, were. The program has since become permanent and has expanded to dozens more states.

That has compounded the challenges for providers in border regions, like Four County Mental Health in southeast Kansas.

But Four County elected to go it alone, obtaining a grant from Washington to begin the process of converting to a CCBHC model — the first provider in Kansas to receive that backing.

“It really has a nice impact not only on the patient, but also on the community in general,” executive director Hennen said of the facility’s early experiment with the program.

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The new model means more of an emphasis on integrating behavioral health with other care. After an individual sees a psychiatrist, they can walk across the hall to a primary care physician to address high blood pressure or diabetes.

And while this may mean more money is spent upfront, providers argue there is a cost savings for society as a whole on the back end.

“You may be spending more on behavioral health care, but all of a sudden, you’re saving money on the primary care side, particularly where hospital inpatient hospitalizations and (emergency room visits) are concerned,” Hennen said.

State lawmakers approved more money to help get Kansas facilities formally approved as CCBHCs, allowing them to eventually access the greater funding opportunities that title allows.

Some providers are already laying the groundwork to become CCBHCs. Central Kansas Mental Health Center, for instance, got a $4 million grant to expand their services earlier this year.

Advocates aren’t yet ready to rechristen Topeka as a global behavioral health capital. But they do profess a genuine excitement for the future for Kansas’ mental health system.

For Mills, the director of Family Service and Guidance Center, the growth in mental health awareness has been building for some time.

“It maybe took the pandemic for people to recognize that, though I think some people were getting it before,” she said. “But this has been a long road to try to get this awareness and education out there about how critical the need is for people to be mentally healthy.”

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time day or night, or chat online.

source https://wealthch.com/kansas-mental-health-providers-look-to-the-future-with-new-hotline-looming-and-covid-19-pandemic-fading-the-topeka-capital-journal/