County Strategies to Recruit and Retain a Strong Behavioral Health Workforce

In January 2023, California became the first state to receive federal approval for a Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration waiver to partially amend the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy.

A program championed and managed by the state association will help rural counties attract and retain crucial volunteers for emergency responders.

On September 27, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced $106.5 million in state planning grants aimed at improving healthcare continuity for individuals transitioning from incarceration.

Counties have been coordinating shelters, food and water distribution, information and making efforts to vet or refer people to donation managers in the wake of Hurricane Helene's devastation across six states.

On October 1, FEMA lifted the Immediate Needs Funding restrictions that were imposed on place on August 7 to manage the rapidly depleting balance of the Disaster Relief Fund. These restrictions paused funding for non-lifesaving and non-life-sustaining activities, enabling FEMA to focus on urgent disaster response.

On Wednesday, September 25, the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a markup to consider 16 bills. Among them was the Disaster Survivors Fairness Act (S. 5067), legislation designed to reform federal disaster assistance programs to better support survivors, which passed out of committee with strong bipartisan backing.

Counties have access to new resources to improve community safety and reduce overdose deaths as a result of recent changes to federal Medicaid policy. Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have applied for the Medicaid Reentry Demonstration waiver so far and eleven state proposals have been approved as of August 2024.

How will these changes affect your county? Join us to learn what is happening across the country as states and counties begin implementing these substantial systems changes. Key learnings from the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge work with 11 counties in California – the first approved waiver state -- will be shared along with implications for counties across the country. 

Join us for a NACo Sponsored webinar to spotlight Stage CARES – Community Abatement Resources Economic Solutions. CARES is designed to help counties and states effectively solve their opioid epidemic through innovative, evidence-based tools and strategies. This session will share insights from national and local leaders.

Discover how CARES patent-pending technology provides data-driven recommendations along with program cost estimates from Stage Analytics’ Co-founders and Principals, Dr. Caleb Alexander, and Dr. Bill Padula.

Learn how to develop evidence-based plans and budgets for your county’s opioid abatement strategy.

Gain practical knowledge from local leaders on how CARES enables efficient collaboration and coordination among stakeholders.

Explore the platform’s capabilities in collecting, measuring, and visualizing real-time, compliant data to meet settlement requirements.

This webinar offers a unique opportunity to see firsthand how Stage CARES can empower your community with the tools and insights needed to solve your opioid epidemic. Don’t miss out—reserve your spot today!

This webinar is hosted by the National Association of Counties (NACo) in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts and the MacArthur Foundation.