Tracy Dompeling
Director 

Andrea Mueca
Deputy Director

Contact: doh.dbh@alaska.gov

Medicaid questions and/or assistance
mpassunit@alaska.gov

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Substance Abuse or Mental Health Treatment Facility Locator

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Headlines

• On March 26, 2024, the Alaska received approval from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to extend the 1115 demonstration waiver through December 31, 2028. The extension authorizes the state to change the title of the demonstration from “Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Behavioral health Program (SUD-BHP)” to “Behavioral Health Reform.” The title change aligns mental health and SUD under a broader behavioral health definition to reflect the state’s commitment to program reform and system transformation. Beyond the title change, the state did not request changes with this extension but rather sought to continue operations of the current demonstration. This renewal approval was a culmination of significant work from staff in the Department of Health and the Division of Behavioral Health who are commended on their efforts contributing to this approval.
• 988Create Art Contest! The Youth Alliance for a Healthier Alaska is running a second year of the 988Create art contest. Deadline March 1, 2024
• The Alaska SMART Medical Clearance form is an effective, standardized tool for determining medical stability for patients with a psychiatric crisis in emergency contexts. Benefits can include improved patient care and more efficient care coordination.
• 1115 Public Forum Comments and Responses. On November 20, 2023 DBH held an annual public forum to solicit comments on the progress of 1115 Waiver. During this session further enhancements, administrative burden, bifurcation of waiver, claims payment, payment rates, and data/reporting were discussed.
• FY24 Treatment & Recovery: Grantee Quarterly Report Forms
• Public Notice:Combined Behavioral Health Assessment and Plan (SUPTRS and MHBG) to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA)
• U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory: Social Media and Youth Mental Health
• DBH Brief summary of regulation process

View previous headlines

 

1115 Waiver Demonstration Project

Alaska’s 1115 Medicaid waiver, the Alaska Substance Use Disorder and Behavioral Health Program, was approved for the original demonstration period of January 1, 2019, through December 31, 2023. Alaska is submitting a renewal application, in accordance with CMS requirements, to continue this demonstration for another 5-year period, January 1, 2024-December 31, 2028. The waiver would continue to provide Alaska with the flexibility to offer a broad range of substance use disorder and behavioral health services and reduce the State’s reliance on crisis services. Visit the 1115 Behavioral Health Medicaid Waiver

• Alaska’s 1115 Temporary Extension Approval Letter 12/27/2023
• Alaska’s 1115 Renewal Application and signed application letter to CMS 03/02/2023
  Disclaimer: DBH utilized accessibility checking software on the waiver renewal application PDF; at submission time, our manual check indicated all was in order, however, on pages 12 to 18, there's the possibility that several footnotes may be read out of order in the Adobe Acrobat software. Should any reader encounter difficulty with these pages, DBH will provide additional assistance on request.
• Full Public Notice can be found on the State of Alaska Online Public Notice site.
• Please visit our DBH Communications page for information and updates unrelated to the 1115 Demonstration Waiver

Alaska Community Resources

Substance misuse and addiction treatment
Are you finding it difficult to stop using alcohol, prescription medications or other substances? If you've thought about cutting down or stopping, here is a list of providers, Substance Use Disorder Treatment Providers (Excel Spreadsheet) (updated 6/23/2023) or see the links under Treatment Bed Availability on the right hand menu.

Alaska providers who offer opioid misuse treatment:

• Withdrawal Management and Detoxification Services
• Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facility Locator

Find information on opioids (prescription pain medications, heroin and more) and treatment options on Heroin and Opioid Use in Alaska

Resources

• Careline Crisis Intervention
• Decisions in Recovery: A new treatment tool for Opioid Use Disorder
• Find Substance Abuse Treatment