Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce Through Upstream Overdose Prevention

• By: Stephanie Simons Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
• January 19th, 2026
• behavioral health workforce, fentanyl risk, harm reduction, motivational interviewing, overdose prevention, provider training, safety planning, substance use awareness, Winter 2026 Issue
• 548    0

I came to this work with a personal understanding of how overdose affects families and communities. I lost my brother to an unintentional fentanyl overdose two years ago after he took a pill that he believed was oxycodone, given by someone he trusted. The loss reshaped how I understood...

NYSPA Report: New Federal Policy in Support of Suicide Prevention

• By: Rachel A. Fernbach, Esq. New York State Psychiatric Association
• January 14th, 2025
• crisis intervention, digital tools, healthcare, mental health, policy, post-discharge support, safety planning, suicide, suicide prevention, Winter 2025 Issue
• 1940    0

Earlier this year, the Biden Administration launched a new national strategy on Suicide Prevention. According to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): In the United States, someone dies by suicide every 11 minutes; the rates of suicidal behaviors have...