Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD
FEATURED ARTICLE
State Policy Center for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment and Access
Webinar: State Strategies for Using Shared Plans of Care to Improve Care Coordination for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Webinars Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by NASHP StaffHow States Promote Recovery for Pregnant and Parenting Women with Substance Use Disorder
/in Policy Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by Hannah Eichner, Becky Normile and Carrie HanlonSubstance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), is prevalent among pregnant and parenting women, and these women have unique and often un-met treatment needs. Despite significant efforts, states report that access to treatment continues to lag for this population. In 2014, half of pregnant women with OUD who were enrolled in publicly-funded treatment […]
State Options for Promoting Recovery among Pregnant and Parenting Women with Opioid or Substance Use Disorder
/in Policy Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas Reports Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home /by Hannah Eichner, Becky Normile and Carrie HanlonThe opioid epidemic has heightened states’ efforts to prevent and treat of substance use disorder (SUD) in pregnant and parenting women. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration, interviewed Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Texas officials about the unique interagency approaches they are using to promote recovery […]
State Strategies for Shared Plans of Care to Improve Care Coordination for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Iowa, Oregon, Utah, West Virginia Reports Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Long-Term Care, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home /by NASHP WritersCare coordination is an essential component of care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). When successfully implemented, it can improve care, reduce costs, avoid fragmented and duplicative care, and improve family functioning and satisfaction. As states work to provide quality care coordination, many are adopting shared plans of care (SPoC) to […]
Why Shared Plans of Care Are Critical to Coordinated Care and How States Are Implementing Them
/in Policy Iowa, Oregon, Utah, West Virginia Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home /by Erin Kim, Becky Normile and Karen VanLandeghemChildren and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) can require significant care coordination across a continuum of health and social services. Improved care coordination for CYSHCN can lead to better outcomes for CYSHCN, as well as cost savings for states. To achieve those goals, state Medicaid agencies and Title V CYSHCN programs are increasingly […]
SUPPORT for Families and Communities Act: New Funding and Flexibility for States to Address Substance Use Disorder
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by Kitty PuringtonLast week, Congress sent the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, a wide-ranging bill that seeks to address the country’s opioid crisis across a number of policy areas, to the President for his signature. The act contains numerous provisions that affect how state Medicaid agencies structure and administer services and supports for individuals with opioid […]
Q&A: How Massachusetts Uses Its Medicaid IMD Waiver to Improve Substance Use Disorder Treatment
/in Policy Massachusetts Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by Rachel DonlonIn 2016, only 3.8 million of the 21 million Americans with substance use disorder (SUD) received treatment. As the opioid crisis persists, states have been working to identify new SUD treatment approaches, but the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion has historically put certain residential health care facilities out of reach for many Medicaid […]
Lawrence, Massachusetts, Keeps the Community at the Center of Hospital Community Benefits
/in Policy Massachusetts Reports Accountable Health, Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Blending and Braiding Funding, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Community Benefit, Health Equity, Housing and Health, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Amy ClaryLawrence, Massachusetts, a city that has struggled with poverty and poor health, is now a Culture of Health Prize winner due in part to state policies that bolster the city’s efforts to advance health equity and address social needs. These supportive state policies include guidelines governing the local hospital’s community health needs assessments, its community […]
States Share their PrEP Prevention Initiatives to Reduce New HIV Infections
/in Policy Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan Reports Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, HIV/AIDS, Population Health /by Erin Kim and Lyndsay SanbornPre-exposure prophylaxis, known as PrEP, is a comprehensive HIV intervention that combines an antiretroviral drug, testing, and counseling to reduce new HIV infections. NASHP brought together officials from Maryland, Michigan, and Connecticut in a PrEP Policy Learning Series to learn and report on how states are effectively deploying and improving their PrEP initiatives to save […]
A Snapshot of the Key Health Policy Issues at Play in 2018 Governors’ Races
/in Policy Blogs Administrative Actions, Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, Population Health, Prescription Drug Pricing, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Social Determinants of Health, State Insurance Marketplaces, State Rx Legislative Action, Workforce Capacity /by Anita CardwellWith elections just three weeks away, governors’ races in 36 states – with 17 open seats – are down to the wire and important health policy issues, such as Medicaid expansion, stabilizing insurance markets, public options, and prescription drug price controls, are at play in most of them. The National Academy for State Health Policy […]


For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
























































































































































Understanding Opioid Settlement Spending Plans across States: Key Components and Approaches
/in Opioid Center, Policy Featured News Home, Reports Opioid Use Disorder /by Sam Mermin, Rebekah Falkner and Katie Greene