State Network

Milbank State Leadership Network

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  • Beating the Coronavirus Will Require Inspiration—Not Just Charity, Guile, and Dreams

    Blog Post

    Beating the Coronavirus Will Require Inspiration—Not Just Charity, Guile, and Dreams

    July 2020

    The practice of public health bumps along in heroic obscurity—its practitioners resigned to a lack of attention and respect compared to their life-rescuing medical care siblings—until suddenly it doesn’t. More

  • How Alabama Lowered Its Infant Mortality Rate

    News Article

    How Alabama Lowered Its Infant Mortality Rate

    July 2020

    Alabama has persistently had one of the highest infant mortality rates in the United States—one on par with those in developing nations. But in 2017, Alabama saw a nearly 20% drop in its infant mortality rate. By 2018, the infant mortality rate dropped for the second consecutive year, thanks in part to the state’s revitalized perinatal regionalization program. More

  • News Article

    Rhode Island’s Updated Affordability Standards Support Behavioral Health and Alternative Payment Models

    June 2020 Rachel Block

    Ten years ago, Rhode Island instituted health care “affordability standards” for commercial health insurers to encourage them to improve the affordability of their health plans, as well as enhance health care quality and consumer protections. The Rhode Island Office of Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC) recently updated these standards, continuing its primary care funding requirement and adding important new provisions designed to facilitate behavioral health integration and accelerate the adoption of payment reforms. More

  • Blog Post

    Not Answers, Just Leadership

    May 2020 Jennifer Sullivan

    Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration Secretary Jennifer Sullivan never expected to be running the state’s health care and social services from her kitchen table. More

  • How North Carolina’s Behavioral Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities System Is Responding to COVID-19

    Blog Post

    How North Carolina’s Behavioral Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities System Is Responding to COVID-19

    May 2020 Kody H. Kinsley

    How North Carolina is maintaining community behavioral health services, safeguarding state health care facilities, and more in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. More

  • On the Front Lines of COVID-19: A Blueprint for Health and Human Services from Washington State

    Publication

    On the Front Lines of COVID-19: A Blueprint for Health and Human Services from Washington State

    April 2020 Susan Birch MaryAnne Lindeblad Eileen Cody

    Susan Birch and MaryAnne Lindeblad of the Washington State Health Care Authority, which oversees care for 2.5 million Medicaid beneficiaries and public employees, and State Representative Eileen Cody outline the major initiatives taken to contain the spread of COVID-19 in their state. More

  • New Resources for States on Behavioral Health Crisis Management

    News Article

    New Resources for States on Behavioral Health Crisis Management

    March 2020

    To help states and communities develop and spread crisis programs, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has published National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis: A Best Practices Toolkit. More

  • News Article

    Milbank Memorial Fund Seeks New Program Officer

    December 2019

    The Milbank Memorial Fund is seeking a new program officer. The program officer is primarily responsible for facilitating the Fund’s Reforming States Group and leading its Emerging Leaders Program. The program officer will also identify and develop projects that advance the mission and success of the Fund, working with colleagues to coordinate and execute these Fund-sponsored activities. More

  • News Article

    Washington, DC Receives First CMS Approval of Expanded Medicaid Coverage for Inpatient Mental Health Services

    December 2019

    In November, the District of Columbia’s (DC) Medicaid program became the first to receive approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for a demonstration that will address gaps in Medicaid’s coverage of behavioral health services by reimbursing institutions for mental diseases (IMDs) for treatment of adults with serious mental illness and/or serious emotional disturbance. DC’s waiver will also cover IMD services for substance use disorder. More

  • Putting a Hepatitis C Cure Within Reach: States Negotiate Hard to Expand Access to Therapy

    News Article

    Putting a Hepatitis C Cure Within Reach: States Negotiate Hard to Expand Access to Therapy

    November 2019

    Louisiana and Washington State have led the charge in expanding access to affordable hepatitis C treatment, particularly for vulnerable populations. This article highlights three lessons other states can learn from these innovative agreements. More