State Health Updates
- California
- The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) awarded $56 million to expand early childhood mental health and wellness services. The 54 organizations awarded funding will expand access to early childhood mental health and wellness services, including services focused on prevention, early intervention, and resiliency/recovery for children and youth, with a specific focus on children and youth who are from the following groups: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and the LGBTQIA+ community.
- DHCS also awarded nearly $147 million to strengthen community health services to Medicaid members as part of the Providing Access and Transforming Health Capacity and Infrastructure, Transition, Expansion, and Development initiative, designed to help providers strengthen their ability to participate in the Medi-Cal delivery system and provide whole-person care to Californians.
- Kentucky – Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order officially banning the practice of conversion therapy on minors in the state. The executive order makes it illegal to use state or federal funds to provide conversion therapy on minors and gives licensing boards the authority to take disciplinary action against licensees found to have practiced conversion therapy on minors.
- Massachusetts – Governor Maura Healey signed legislation that renames the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission to MassAbility, to reflect the administration’s goal of ushering in a new, more inclusive model for disability career services and independent living. The new name directly resulted from feedback from the disability community and was selected following research, focus groups, surveys, and conversations with the community, businesses, providers, and advocacy organizations.
- Missouri – The Missouri Department of Social Services MO HealthNet Division announced the ElimiNATION Awareness Tour, part of the ongoing Project HepCure initiative, which aims to eliminate hepatitis C in the state. The ElimiNATION Tour will offer screenings for hepatitis C at no cost, regardless of health insurance status. The tour aims to raise awareness around hepatitis C, bringing testing resources directly to those in need. In partnership with local organizations, the tour will also facilitate linkages to care for individuals who test positive for the virus.
- Montana – Governor Greg Gianforte announced a $4 million investment to support startup costs for any Montana institution of higher education launching Physician Assistant and Occupational Therapy doctorate programs. The investment represents the next allocation of $300 million in funding secured by the governor last year to reform and improve Montana’s behavioral health and developmental disabilities services systems.
- New Jersey
- Department of Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman and Department of Education Acting Commissioner Kevin Dehmer announced that all New Jersey school districts can now obtain naloxone at no cost through the Naloxone DIRECT program.
- As part of the state’s effort to expand Family Connects NJ, the state’s universal nurse home visitation program, the Department of Children and Families has awarded contracts to two partner agencies to make free visits from a nurse available to every family with a newborn in an additional six counties.
- New York
- Governor Kathy Hochul signed a legislative package to ensure equitable access to essential healthcare services, including S.8486-C/A.9102-C, which requires Medicaid reimbursement for ambulance services when treatment in place is administered and/or when transportation is provided to alternative healthcare settings instead of a general hospital.
- The New York State Department of Health released a report showing persistent disparities in menthol cigarette use, highlighting the impact of aggressive tobacco industry marketing of menthol cigarettes in communities of color. An episode of my podcast, the Princeton Pulse, dives into the ongoing debate about banning menthol cigarettes, which are more addictive and ultimately more harmful than tobacco-flavored cigarettes.
- North Carolina – The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services published the 2024 Health Disparities Analysis Report. The report offers a comprehensive view of the effects of health disparities on health outcomes across North Carolina and highlights opportunities for improvement and action.
- Pennsylvania – The Shapiro Administration announced that all school districts, career and technical centers, and charter schools will receive funding to provide free period products to students.
- Rhode Island – The Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services announced the opening of applications for $2.25 million in grants to support homelessness prevention initiatives.