Vantage Clinical Consulting LLC

08/25/2025

Whew… Systems are shifting FAST😩

From CMS mandating behavioral health integration in Medicare Advantage to the rise of interstate licensure compacts and record-high youth cannabis va**ng rates. This week’s policy landscape reminds us that executive-level decisions don’t stay in Washington. They land directly in our clinics, schools, and frontline services.

This week’s key stories:
✔️ CMS pushes behavioral health from optional to essential
✔️ 39 states join the Counseling Compact
✔️ New SAMHSA data: Teen ma*****na va**ng now at 61.3%
✔️ Telehealth continues to expand, but will your license keep up?

Vantage Take:
Whether you’re a treatment provider, system leader, or prevention professional you deserve strategy, structure, and support that keeps up with the pace of policy. We break it all down in this week’s Vantage Policy Watch.

🔗 in comments.

08/18/2025

Civil commitment changes.
Statewide school screenings.
In-custody care lawsuits.

Every recent headline shares one truth: continuity saves lives.

When policy ripples, your systems must stay steady. From custody to clinic, from screening to service, stay ready so that you don’t have to get ready.

Read the latest frontline insights & action steps in this week’s Vantage Policy Watch: https://www.vantageclinicalconsulting.com/post/vantage-policy-watch-week-of-august-11-2025

08/16/2025

Join us🎉

📢 and Join Us at the IAAP Annual Membership Meeting & Awards Celebration! 🎉

The Illinois Association of Addiction Professionals (IAAP) invites you to our Annual Membership Meeting & Awards Celebration on Thursday, September 19, from 1:00-3:00 pm at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Chicago.

This event is FREE and open to all—IAAP membership is not required! Enjoy a light lunch and beverages while connecting with fellow professionals in the field.

We are honored to have Assistant Director Dr. Rafeal Rivera of the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, as our Keynote Speaker. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, celebrate, and network!

📍 Location: Ukrainian Cultural Center, 2247 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL
📅 Date: Fri. September 26, 2025.
🕐 Time: 12:00-3:00 pm

Registration is required by Sept. 12, 2025:
https://2025-iaap.eventbrite.com/

We look forward to seeing you there!💜

James Randall Webber Pamela Frazier Jamelia Hand Mark Sanders James Golding

08/16/2025

I had the opportunity to attend “Standing Up for Illinois: Protecting Women,” hosted by Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton.

The stats were staggering. These federal policy changes are hitting women in Illinois hard and impacting their health, autonomy, and access to care. This isn’t just policy. It’s personal.

As CEO of Vantage Clinical Consulting, I left feeling more committed than ever to standing in the gap for women and communities that are often left behind. I’ll continue using my voice, my platform, and my work to make sure they are protected.

08/11/2025

Illinois Stands Firm for Providers 💜

The Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Behavioral Health & Recovery has recently confirmed that the recent federal Executive Order limiting harm reduction funding will not reduce services, funding, or impact most DBHR-supported programs.

State-funded harm reduction efforts remain fully intact. Illinois also continues to lead with evidence-based strategies like Housing First, protecting vulnerable residents and supporting providers across the state.

📄 Read the SAMHSA Dear Colleague Letter:https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/dear-colleague-letter-executive-order-ending-crime-disorder-americas-streets-07302025.pdf

🙏🏻Thank you to DBHR leadership and the entire team for your commitment to providers.

08/09/2025

Carfentanil, a fentanyl analogue 100x more potent than fentanyl, has been detected in Chicago’s drug supply. Even tiny amounts can be deadly.

🚨Take Action:
• Call 911 for any suspected overdose
• Administer naloxone (multiple doses may be needed)
• Report unusual overdose symptoms: 1-800-222-1222

📄 Full announcement: Read here https://www.chicagohan.org/alert-detail/-/alert-details/46690580

08/08/2025

🚨 BREAKING NEWS: Illinois Co***ne Quality Among Worst in Nation 🚨

Earlier this week, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Frank Main toured the DEA’s North Central Forensic Laboratory to get a closer look at a troubling trend. Illinois is now ranked third in the nation for total co***ne seizures by weight, behind only California and Texas.

Even more alarming? The purity levels of co***ne seized in Illinois are among the lowest in the country, according to the DEA’s newly released 2024 Annual Co***ne Report. https://www.dea.gov/documents/2025/2025-07/2025-07-18/cy-2024-annual-co***ne-report

This suggests a rising risk of contamination and adulterants being introduced into the local drug supply, putting lives at even greater risk.

💬 The takeaway: Co***ne use is not only increasing, it’s becoming more dangerous.

🧠 If you or someone you love is struggling, now is the time to have a real conversation. Prevention, treatment, and harm reduction save lives.

***neCrisis

07/30/2025

Senate Bill 295 failed in West Virginia in 2024, a bill that aimed to declare standalone clinics illegal and effectively banning methadone treatment in the state. A state which had the highest overdose rate in the U.S. as of 2022. The bill was reintroduced in February of this year.

Stuart’s sponsorship of legislation targeting such clinics raises serious concerns that, if confirmed, he might support policies to either roll back methadone access or restrain programs.

If confirmed, Stuart’s views might influence federal oversight or regulatory decisions affecting methadone access, with significant potential consequences for treatment programs.

HHS general counsel nominee Mike Stuart’s position on methadone puts him far outside the mainstream in American politics.

07/29/2025

Late last week, an Executive Order reframed homelessness, addiction, and mental illness as public threats by tying funding to enforcement, involuntary treatment, and dismantling harm reduction.

But here’s the question:
When federal policies ripple, who protects continuity of care?

In my latest blog, I break down:

✅ What the Executive Order mandates
✅ The risks to voluntary behavioral health services
✅ How providers stay steady in turbulent times
✅ Why deflection programs and models like TASC, Inc. (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities) nationally recognized deflection model stands out as a proven, people-first approach.

I look forward to discussing how enforcement-based policy is reshaping the treatment landscape, and how we respond as a field.

Read the full analysis here:
https://www.vantageclinicalconsulting.com/post/vantage-policy-watch-week-of-july-28-2025

07/22/2025

We’re not always aware of the recipients of the Gregory J. Hand Addiction Recovery Scholarship.

If you've ever wondered what we do with donations received on behalf of the scholarship, they go to students at Governors State University who are training to become SUD (addiction) counselors..

Thanks to everyone who have supported this scholarship in the past. Our dad would be happy💜

07/22/2025

Excited to speak at ConV2X Smart Tech Transformation in NYC!

Join our CEO Jamelia Hand on Oct 30–31 for insights on the future of health innovation with a global network of experts as we dive deep into smart tech transformation in healthcare.

Sept 25–26 | Early Birds Register here: https://telehealth.conv2xsymposium.com/shop/?add-to-cart=3259

07/21/2025

🧭 Vantage Policy Watch | Week of July 21, 2025

The federal layoffs at HHS are here. This week’s policy shifts signal more than administrative change. They point to a restructuring that could reshape how communities access mental health and substance use treatment across the country.

⚠️ What does it mean when grant cycles stall, surveillance data disappears, and technical assistance disappears overnight?

It means ripple effects for frontline care including delays in crisis center funding, gaps in service coordination, and fewer supports for vulnerable populations.

📍Read our latest update, catch up on previous weeks’ updates, and explore what these changes mean for frontline care here: https://www.vantageclinicalconsulting.com/post/vantage-policy-watch-week-of-july-21-2025