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Rural Mental Health – News

News stories from the past 60 days.

Nov 21, 2024 - Pre-publication notice from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) making corrections to the November 12, 2024, final rule.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 20, 2024 - Notice of proposed rule from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposing to require covered text providers, including wireless providers, to support georouting to ensure that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline may route covered 988 text messages to appropriate local crisis centers. The FCC proposes to require covered text providers to send georouting data to the 988 Lifeline to the same extent that they are required to send covered 988 text messages to the Lifeline. Comments are due by December 20, 2024, and reply comments are due by January 9, 2025.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 12, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announcing the adoption of a Third Report and Order that requires wireless providers to implement a georouting solution for calls to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to facilitate access to critical local intervention services. The Third Report and Order also revises the Commission's existing 988 voice and texting rules to permit routing to the 988 Lifeline without translation to a toll-free access number, giving wireless providers flexibility in implementing georouting solutions. This rule is effective December 12, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Nov 7, 2024 - Discusses a new training program to address mental health workforce shortages in Vermont. The program will place mental health workers in rural schools and offer incentives for students that continue working at their placement beyond graduation.
Source: Vermont Public
Oct 1, 2024 - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) will hold a virtual public meeting of the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC) on March 27, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Eastern. The meeting will provide information on federal efforts related to serious mental illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbance (SED). The agenda and information on how to join the meeting will be posted on the SAMHSA website before the meeting.
Source: Federal Register
Sep 23, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) making amending regulations implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) and adding new regulations implementing the nonquantitative treatment limitation (NQTL) comparative analyses requirements under MHPAEA, as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA, 2021). Specifically, these rules amend the existing NQTL standard to prevent plans and issuers from using NQTLs to place greater limits on access to mental health and substance use disorder benefits as compared to medical/surgical benefits. These regulations are effective November 22, 2024.
Source: Federal Register
Last Updated: 11/21/2024