January 2013

A report on events affecting Oklahoma providers

January 1

Happy New Year!

Cervical Health Awareness Month

National Cervical Cancer Coalition

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National Birth Defects Prevention Month

March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation

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National Blood Donor Month

American Association of Blood Banks (AABB)

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January 8

Intro. to Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

Tulsa Tech, Tulsa

January 13 – 19

Healthy Weight Week

Healthy Weight Network

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January 14 – January 18

RSS Training - OKC- Registration Required

ODMHSAS Training Center, OKC

January 15 - January 16

SOC Wraparound 101 Training

Tulsa Tech, Tulsa

January 16

Martin Luther King Day

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January 21

King Day of Service

Corporation for National and Community Service

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January 23 - January 24

Combined ASAM & ASI Training

Tulsa Technology Center, Tulsa

January 24 - January 25

Case Mgmt Training-OKC-Reg Deadline 01-10-2013

Shepherd Mall Training Center, OKC

January 24 - January 25

Motivational Interviewing

Boldt Construction, OKC

January 25

Building Bridges Initiative Kick-off Summit

Crossings Community Center, OKC

January 29

SOC Family Support Provider Training

Tulsa Tech, Tulsa

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Practice Management Insight

National Glaucoma Awareness Month

National Medical Group Management Week

January is...

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Are you Ready?

Biden, McConnell lead

last-minute turn from fiscal cliff

Senate vote expected late New Year's Eve, but no one is celebrating

Even as Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reached an agreement Monday afternoon, Dec. 31, on a tentative deal to stave off large tax increases beginning Tuesday, Jan. 1, they remained at an impasse on whether and how to prevent $110 billion in across-the-board federal spending cuts—among them Medicare reimbursement cuts, according to media reports Monday. As a result, the country will “go over the fiscal cliff”

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Research probes medication option for methamphetamine abuse

A medication associated with glial cell activation, a phenomenon increasingly being studied for its possible relationship to drug abuse, could eventually prove to offer a breakthrough in the treatment of methamphetamine dependence.

Biopharmaceutical company MediciNova, Inc., last year announced that the medication MN-166 (ibudilast) will be studied in a Phase 2 clinical trial for methamphetamine addiction, in research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

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Sandy Hook: Seizing the moment for mental health—nine steps to take now

"Mom," lamented my twenty-something daughter the morning after the news about Sandy Hook began to sink in. "This is so awful. Something's got to be done about gun control!" "Gun control absolutely," I replied. "But what about mental illness? That's the deeper issue."

Not to diminish the long-overdue opportunity to deal with gun control head-on, but as someone who works daily with nonprofits to engage individuals in their communities about their real work, I repeat what I said to my daughter: "What about mental illness?"

It sure seems like this is the seize-able moment, if ever there were one, to shine the light on the mental health issue. Whether your organization's primary focus is on children's mental health, domestic violence, substance abuse, or adult behavioral health, the Sandy Hook shootings are now top of mind for many in your community who may have avoided anything to do with mental health in the past.

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Runwell awards 12 grants to addiction treatment centers

in its first year

After a successful first year in which it awarded grants to a dozen recipients in the U.S. and beyond, Runwell: The Linda Quirk Foundation is projecting an even bigger year in 2013. The foundation, a non-profit organization that funds addiction treatment centers and programs, awarded a total of $92,500 in grants in 2012. Runwell founder and internationally-known ultra runner Linda Quirk said she is excited by the foundation's first year success and is looking forward to expanding Runwell's impact in the coming year.

Fundraising goals for the athletes representing Runwell vary by event, and athletes typically seek sponsorship donations from friends and family as they train for their races.

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Young entrepreneurs in recovery create money management tool

One of the co-founders of an innovative money management tool tailored to individuals in early recovery recalls the degree to which financial management challenges threatened to compromise his own long-term wellness.

“My father had tried working with me, but I had no concept of the value of a dollar,” says Eric Dresdale, co-founder of the Next Step Prepaid MasterCard. “And a lot of the things I learned quickly disappeared as I was coming out of treatment.”

Dresdale and business partner Ryan Jaffe, who met during their stay in a halfway house program, had batted around the concept of a card resembling a college meal plan card that would help control reckless spending by individuals in recovery.

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