HJAR Jan/Feb 2022

28 JAN / FEB 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS POLICY color and justice-involved individuals. • Improve access to telehealth services. State and federal governments tempo- rarily eased restrictions on telehealth services, including mental health and substance abuse services, in response to the pandemic. Many of those chang- es have been extended, but some are set to expire. Telehealth is an important tool for providing services to hard-to- reach patients, especially in rural states like Arkansas. • Increase funding for children’s mental health services. All families and chil- dren should have access to evidence- based healthcare screenings, diagnosis and treatment. These services should include school-based services and ad- dress the increasing need for inpatient services for children. • Have a well-publicized mental health hotline in every state. InArkansas, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sci- ences’AR-Connect call center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 501-526-3563 or 800-482-9921. Acall- er in need of mental health services is evaluated by a nurse triage team and contacted by another medical profes- sional within 24 hours, if needed. • Use opioid settlement funds to ad- dress the opioid epidemic. Any funds that states and local governments re- ceive to settle litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors should be earmarked for programs, services and other efforts to address the cur- rent opioid epidemic and prevent fu- ture substance abuse disorder epidem- ics. Non-governmental, independent commissions should be established to receive and disperse settlement funds. • Improve access to naloxone and sub- stance abuse treatment. TheArkansas General Assembly has been working to improve access to the overdose- reversal drug naloxone by, most re- cently, passing Act 651 of 2021, which requires a co-prescription of naloxone in certain situations for a person with a high-dose opioid prescription. The law followedAct 284 of 2017, which autho- rized pharmacists to order, dispense and administer naloxone to individuals without a prescription under a state protocol. An effort is also underway to have hospitals dispense naloxone and make required referrals for substance abuse counseling available to those presenting in circumstances involv- ing opioids. • Use American Rescue Plan funds to address these crises. States, schools and communities should ensure that portions of the federal funds made available for pandemic relief through theAmerican Rescue Plan are targeted to address the mental health and sub- stance abuse crises threatening our citizens. We have an important opportunity as in- dividuals to make a difference in our com- munities. We have all felt the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic — on our families, health, jobs, education, social interactions and faith-based activities. Check on your friends, family and neighbors and ask: “It has been a rough time, how are you doing?” This simple question can be a lifeline for someone. And if you need help, don’t suffer in silence. Help is out there. n REFERENCES 1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Anxiety and Depression: Household Pulse Sur- vey.” https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/ mental-health.htm 2 Curtin, Heron. “Death Rates Due to Suicide and Homicide Among Persons Aged 10-24: United States, 2000–2017.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NCHS Data Brief No. 352. Octo- ber 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/ databriefs/db352.htm 3 “AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.” American Academy of Pediatrics. Oct. 19, 2021. https://www.aap.org/en/advocacy/child- and-adolescent-healthy-mental-development/ aap-aacap-cha-declaration-of-a-national-emer- gency-in-child-and-adolescent-mental-health/ 4 Jensik L. “Arkansas Children’s CEO says mental illness-related ED visits have jumped 150% during pandemic.” Becker’s Hospital Review. Sept. 27, 2021. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/ hospital-management-administration/arkansas- children-s-ceo-says-mental-illness-related-ed- visits-have-jumped-150-during-pandemic.html 5 “Drug Overdose Deaths in the U.S. Top 100,000 Annually.” Centers for Disease Control and Pre- vention. Nov. 17, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/ pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2021/20211117. htm 6 Baumgartner, Radley. “The Drug Overdose Toll in 2020 and Near-Term Actions for Addressing It.” The Commonwealth Fund. Last updated Aug. 16, 2021. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/ blog/2021/drug-overdose-toll-2020-and-near- term-actions-addressing-it “More than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses in the U.S. during a 12-month period ending in April 2021, according to provisional data from the National Center for Health Statistics. That is a 28.5% increase from the 78,056 overdose deaths that occurred in the same period the year before.”