Crisis

These documents from the South Southwest MHTTC provide information about Peer Specialists in crisis settings.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 to seek immediate assistance. Below are resources you can contact if you are seeking assistance or information. All resources are intended for informational purposes only.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) has provided events and resources throughout September 2023 for National Recovery Month.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now added American Sign Language (ASL) services to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. An ongoing effort of the HHS is to expand accessibility to behavioral health care for underserved communities, which includes individuals who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) introduced the Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration, to advance the White House Strategy to Address our National Mental Health Crisis announced earlier this year.

Since 1999, an estimated 841,000 people in the U.S. have died from a drug overdose. Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly exacerbated the overdose crisis resulting in a 30% increase in 2020 compared to 2019. The majority of overdose deaths in the U.S. involve opioids, including nearly 71% of all overdose deaths in 2019.3 Despite high rates of overdose across the nation, overdose and overdose death are preventable. However, people at risk of overdose often face significant challenges accessing treatment and navigating systems of care. Local and state health departments are well-suited to lead and support efforts to prevent and respond to overdose and to link people to evidence-based treatment and services. Peer support services (PSS) are a valuable component of a growing number of overdose response and linkage to care initiatives that can be implemented and supported by local and state health departments.

Background: Sharp exacerbations of the US overdose crisis are linked to polysubstance use of synthetic compounds. Xylazine is a veterinary tranquilizer, long noted in the street opioid supply of Puerto Rico, and more recently Philadelphia. Yet its national trends, geographic distribution, and health risks are poorly characterized. Methods: In this sequential mixed-methods study, xylazine was increasingly observed by ethnographers in Philadelphia among drug-sellers and people who inject drugs (PWID). Subsequently, we systematically searched for records describing xylazine-present overdose mortality across the US and assessed time trends and overlap with other drugs

We are pleased to share that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has rolled out a new 988 website today – available at samhsa.gov/988. The 988 website is designed to serve as your one-stop-shop for 988 resources from SAMHSA. Notably, we want to make sure you’re aware that the site contains a 988 partner toolkit. The partner toolkit is intended for SAMHSA’s 988 implementation partners (crisis call centers, state mental health programs, substance use treatment providers, behavioral health systems, and others) to provide key messages, FAQs, and more information about what 988 is and how it will work.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) want greater awareness of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their connection to high rates of overdose and suicide.  This week they announced a new training webpage, UrgentRelatedPreventable.org, designed in collaboration with the American Public Health Association to provide background and talking points.  The site explains how exposure to certain events and conditions in childhood have lasting effects on health, well-being, and prosperity far into adulthood.  See Funding section below for a CDC effort to research the links between ACEs and substance use. 

The session provided an overview of the challenges facing the rural behavioral health workforce and covered available resources and successful strategies that have been implemented in rural communities to address these challenges, especially in light of the opioid crisis.