Mental Health Weekly articles from July 2007

Mental Health Weekly archives from July 2007

Maine providers consider options in face of steep budget drop: service cuts possible as managed care nears.
July 30, 2007... Maine's community mental health providers are embarking on a two-year period of brainstorming on ways to maintain essential services, as state budget cuts that took effect July 1 promise to be just the first of several changes to be absorbed...

VA expanding mental health care into primary care settings; Advocates concerned about more immediate veterans' MH care needs.(Department of Veterans Affairs)
July 30, 2007... During a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) forum this month with mental health clinicians and researchers to discuss the department's mental health programs, officials announced plans to locate more of them in primary care settings and...

CMS Medicaid pharmacy rule concerns advocates, prompts bill.
July 30, 2007... Advocates and lawmakers have raised concerns about the effects of a new rule issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) involving new regulations in Medicaid drug payments that would impact community pharmacies in...

Legislation to address suicide prevention for seniors hailed.
July 30, 2007... Mental health, aging and suicide prevention advocates and consumers groups are applauding legislation introduced last week to help prevent suicide among older adults, an age group they say is particularly vulnerable to this preventable health...

Federal report: Sept. 11 workers not receiving enough health care.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Nearly six years following the terrorist attack on New York, the federal government still does not have an adequate array of programs for ground zero workers, or an estimate of how much treatment will cost, according to a report produced by...

ILL. bill would lower bar for involuntary treatment.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Illinois lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill that would lower the standard for committing an individual for involuntary psychiatric treatment, according to Medill Reports. The bill, which sits on Gov. Rod Blagojevich's desk, would allow a...

N.Y. law will help prisoners re-enter society.(STATE WATCH)(New York)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has signed a bill that will suspend rather than terminate Medicaid benefits for prisoners while they are incarcerated so that when they re-enter society, they won't face a two-to-three month wait for services,...

Community Care earns full NCQA accreditation.(BUSINESS NOTE)(National Committee for Quality Assurance)(Brief article)
July 30, 2007... Pittsburgh-based Community Care, a behavioral health managed care organization, has been awarded a three-year full accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), representing NCQA's highest level of accreditation. ...

Names in the news.
July 30, 2007... The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) (a branch of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)) has appointed four new members to its National Advisory Council. The new members are King Davis, Ph.D.,...

In case you haven't heard...
July 30, 2007... Behavior problems in early grades appear to lead to peer rejection and a lack of friends in elementary school, and can lead to early adolescent depression and loneliness, according to a study that appears in the 2007 Child Development....

California legislators, MH officials optimistic on fate of homeless program: funding cut could violate intent of Proposition 63, supporters insist.(mental health)
July 23, 2007... A California program that became a national model for aggressive outreach and comprehensive services for homeless adults with serious mental illness--and helped to define the groundbreaking approach to mental health service delivery in the...

Dually diagnosed prove challenging to state service systems.(Reprint)
July 23, 2007... While state efforts to improve Medicaid behavioral health services tend to focus on expanding community-based care, newly released data suggest that this approach may leave behind an important population: beneficiaries with co-occurring...

Study highlights need for MH, SA screening in primary care.(mental health, substance abuse)
July 23, 2007... Most health plans do not require screening for mental health and substance abuse in primary care. However, more screening can help improve identification of behavioral health conditions, a first step toward effective treatment, according to a...

Oregon prison officials embark on suicide-prevention strategies.(Oregon. Department of Corrections)
July 23, 2007... Oregon prison officials have established a number of initiatives and are embarking on others to support inmates in crisis and help prevent suicide. Efforts include training inmates to become peer supports. The Oregon Department of...

House committee approves federal parity bill.(Committee on Economic and Educational Opportunities)(Brief article)
July 23, 2007... The House Education and Labor Committee last week approved bipartisan legislation that will help ensure better access to treatment for people suffering from mental illnesses. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act (H.R....

Push for mental health parity legislation continues.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act)(Brief article)
July 23, 2007... Earlier this month former first lady Rosalynn Carter and David Wellstone, son of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, testified before a House subcommittee in support of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act. The Associated Press...

NIH brain development study nears completion.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(National Institutes of Health)(Brief article)
July 23, 2007... This summer will mark the completion of a groundbreaking eight-year, $30-million project funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in which researchers are studying brain development in a nationally representative sample of 385 girls...

Magellan reaches agreement with ValueOptions.(STATE WATCH)
July 23, 2007... Magellan Health Services, the company selected to take over Arizona's new Medicaid managed care services contract in Maricopa County, has reached an agreement with ValueOptions, which operated the system since 1999. Earlier this month,...

North Carolina House approves mental health parity bill.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
July 23, 2007... Following Senate approval earlier this month, the North Carolina House voted (111-2) in favor of a bill requiring state health insurers to provide coverage for nine mental illnesses that is equal to what they provide for physical illnesses,...

Marie Paxson.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
July 23, 2007... Marie Paxson, current coordinator of Chester County CHADD, Pennsylvania, has been chosen as the new president-elect of CHADD, and will assume her role in a year. CHADD, the nation's largest family-based organization serving those affected by...

Anand Pandya, M.D.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(National Alliance on Mental Illness)(Brief article)
July 23, 2007... Anand Pandya, M.D., has been elected president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation's largest grassroots organization representing individuals and families living with mental illness. Pandya, clinical assistant...

NAPHS 2008 Membership Directory.(RESOURCES )(National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems)(Brief article)
July 23, 2007... The National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) is poised to offer the revised 2008 edition of the NAPHS Membership Directory, to include listings for member organizations that provide a broad range of services to children,...

American Mental Health Counselor Association.(Coming up)
July 23, 2007... The American Mental Health Counselor Association (AMHCA) will hold it 2007 Annual Conference, "Growth out of Adversity," on July 26-28 in New Orleans. Visit www.amhca.org/pdf/AMHCAFebPNad-flyer.pdf for more information and to register.

American Psychological Association.(Coming up)
July 23, 2007... The American Psychological Association will hold its 115th Annual Conference on August 17-20 in San Francisco. For more information and to register, visit www.apa.org/convention07.

Memphis Police Department.(Coming up)
July 23, 2007... The Memphis Police Department, the University of Memphis CIT Center and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) are sponsoring the 3rd Annual Crisis Intervention Team National Conference in Memphis, Tenn. on August 28-30. The...

In case you haven't heard ...(first born children are more intelligent)(Brief article)
July 23, 2007... Oldest children have long been stereotyped as more "responsible" than their younger siblings, and often appear to be higher achievers academically. A landmark study published last month in the journal Science--which met with an enormous...

ValueOptions files protest against Magellan contract in Arizona: second bidder, Cenpatico Behavioral Health, also challenges award.
July 16, 2007... ValueOptions, an unsuccessful bidder last month for Arizona's new Medicaid managed care services contract in Maricopa County, last week filed a formal protest with the state over the awarding of the contract to Magellan Health Services, Inc....

Mass. lawmakers: hospital patients need access to fresh air; Bill would mandate exposure to outdoors.(Massachusetts)
July 16, 2007... No one would dispute that exposure to fresh air can be invigorating and even therapeutic. But for patients hospitalized in a psychiatric facility, should fresh air be considered an attractive amenity or a fundamental right? A pair of...

Conn. law to provide MH care for state's health professionals.(mental health, Connecticut)
July 16, 2007... Connecticut health care professionals are hailing a new law that establishes a single health care professional assistance program to provide education, intervention, referral assistance, and rehabilitative and support services to any health...

SPAN to honor lawmakers for suicide prevention, parity efforts.(Suicide Prevention Action Network honors with Allies for Action awards)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... The Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN USA) this week plans to honor Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) with the "Allies for Action" award for their work on veterans suicide prevention and mental health parity. The...

New insight: schizophrenia and violence.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Since the April shootings at Virginia Tech, there has been increased dialogue about the association between violence and schizophrenia, a diagnosis which some experts retrospectively attributed to the shooter. However, many experts have...

Study suggests psychological burden of pandemic disease.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Findings from a study of survivors of the 2003 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak in Canada emphasize the unique needs of patients and caregivers during and after an epidemic illness, the study authors concluded, particularly...

Approval for first patch to treat Alzheimer's.(BRIEFLY NOTED)
July 16, 2007... Clinicians who work with the elderly will soon have a new tool for treating the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease with particular salience for patients who have difficulty following treatment regimens and are prone to gastrointestinal upset....

Illinois implements mandatory brain injury screening for returning soldiers.(STATE WATCH)(Illinois's Department of Veterans Affairs)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Gov. Rod Blagojevich and Tammy Duckworth, director of Illinois's Department of Veterans Affairs, recently announced a first-of-its-kind state traumatic brain injury screening program that Duckworth feels sets an example for other states...

Nevada has elevate suicide, alcohol abuse rates.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... The Las Vegas Sun reported on July 3 that Nevada has elevated rates of death related to high-risk behaviors, according to the paper's analyses of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nationwide mortality data. For example, both Nevada's...

Report highlights failings of Georgia's state mental hospitals.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... On July 1 the Atlanta Journal-Constitution released its most recent report in an investigative series on the poor quality of care received in Georgia's state mental hospitals, this time alleging that since 2002 at least 10 patients have died...

Wyoming SCHIP adds new mental health benefits.(STATE WATCH)(State Children's Health Insurance Program)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Wyoming's program for ensuring health insurance coverage for children, Kid Care CHIP, added new mental health benefits, reported the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle on July 6. Under the new provisions, beneficiaries are eligible for nine additional...

Shire cites ambitious sales goals for new ADHD drug.(BUSINESS)(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Shire Pharmaceuticals Group PLC)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Facing the 2009 patent expiration of its top-selling Adderall XR for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Shire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has built a robust sales force to push its newly approved Vyvanse...

Adaptis and CompCare enter partnership.(BUSINESS)(Compcare Health Services Insurance Corp.)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Seattle, Wash.-based Adaptis, which calls itself a leading provider of Business Process Integration solutions for health payers, announced on July 9 it has signed a strategic partnership with the Tampa, Fla.-based company CompCare, a...

Mental Health America, PsychCentral create online MH network.(RESOURCES)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... An increasing number of people are using online resources to gather information about mental health, according to David L. Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America. The leading nonprofit mental health organization recently...

Scoot Rauch, M.D.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(honored with A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... Scott Rauch, M.D., the president and psychiatrist-in-chief of McLean Hospital, based in Belmont, Mass. and chair of Partners Psychiatry in Mental Health, was recently awarded the A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award from Harvard...

NIMH: Outreach Partnership Program grants.(GRANTS AND FUNDING)(National Institute of Mental Health)
July 16, 2007... The National Institute of Mental Health has announced it is seeking proposals from potential "Outreach Partners" in New York City, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Southern California, the Texas Border Region, and Virginia. The Outreach Partnership...

American Mental Health Counselor Association.(Coming up)
July 16, 2007... The American Mental Health Counselor Association (AMHCA) will hold it 2007 Annual Conference, "Growth out of Adversity," on July 26-28 in New Orleans. Visit www.amhca.org/pdf/AMHCAFebPNad-flyer.pdf for more information and to register.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.(Coming up)
July 16, 2007... The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) will hold its 2007 National Conference: Making the Recovery Connection, in Orlando, Fla. on August 10-12. For more information or to register online, visit www.DBSAlliance.org/conference, or...

American Academy of Pediatrics.(Coming up)
July 16, 2007... The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will hold its National Conference and Exhibition on October 27-30 in San Francisco. Visit www.aap.org for more information.

In case you haven't heard ...(McGill University and Harvard Medical School test therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder)(Brief article)
July 16, 2007... In newly published research that has some concerned about the potential for misuse of memory-altering drugs, investigators with McGill University and Harvard Medical School tested a therapy that could be valuable for treating patients with...

States seek to regulate relationship between drug companies, prescribers: payments to psychiatrists stir widespread concern.
July 9, 2007... Bolstered by reports that showed that psychiatrists are among the biggest beneficiaries of payments from pharmaceutical companies to physicians, a number of states this year gained momentum in imposing controls on the relationship between...

NCCBH survey identifies new treatment barrier for people with SMI: group urges consumers to talk with doctors before discontinuing medication.(National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare)
July 9, 2007... A survey released last month by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare (NCCBH) identified a new barrier to treatment affecting people with severe mental illness. The findings show that patients with schizophrenia and bipolar...

N.Y. advocates push for employment of people with MI.
July 9, 2007... New York State mental health advocates are working to bring to the attention of providers and employers the need for employment opportunities for people with mental illness. According to advocates, depending on the study and region of the...

Lawmakers introduce legislation to create jobs for people with severe disabilities.(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... U.S. Senators Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) last month introduced legislation aimed at reducing the high unemployment rate for people with severe disabilities. The "Employer Work Incentive Act for Individuals with...

New York advocates recommend employers hire people with mental illness.(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... During testimony before New York lawmakers in June, Glenn Liebman, chief executive of the Mental Health Association in New York State, Inc., made the following recommendations regarding the state's Empire Development Zones program: * We...

Humor and friendship heal and transform lives.(FROM THE FIELD ...)
July 9, 2007... Michael, withdrawn and sullen, sits on his bed in his Morris County, New Jersey residential group home. Except for staff coming in to perform routine duties, the 30-year-old has no visitors. Following his treatment plan, he leaves his room...

AMA votes against video game "addiction".(BRIEFLY NOTED)(American Medical Association)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Roughly 10 percent of individuals who play video games are thought to play in excess, wrote Reuters on June 24. However, while the American Medical Association (AMA) suggested further research into the "addictive potential of video games" at...

Supreme Court blocks execution of man with SMI.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... In Panetti vs. Quarterman the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the execution of a Texas man who suffers from severe mental illness, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) issued a statement on June 28 in support of this decision. Scott...

Montana works to address vets' mental health needs.(STATE WATCH)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... According to the latest Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health report, "The current (mental health care) system must be restructured to reflect" the unprecedented number of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental...

ValueOptions Northeast Service Center receives NCQA accreditation.(BUSINESS)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... ValueOptions, Inc., the nation's largest independent behavioral health care company, announced on June 26 that it has received full accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for it Northeast Service Center in...

Jeremy Lazarus, M.D.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(American Medical Association)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Jeremy Lazarus, M.D., has been elected speaker of the American Medical Association's House of Delegates, the group reported on June 23. Lazarus is a board certified psychiatrist and a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of...

Charles Curie.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Suicide Prevention Action Network)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Charles Curie, former administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), has been elected to the Board of Directors at the Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN USA), the nation's leading grassroots...

CARF announces Customer Connect.(RESOURCES)(Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities)(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) announced on June 18 it has created an interactive website to help providers manage their CARF survey and accreditation information. Customer Connect will allow providers to...

National Association of peer Specialists.(Coming up)
July 9, 2007... The National Association of Peer Specialists (NAOPS), a private non-profit dedicated to promoting the hiring of peer specialists in mental health systems, will hold its first-ever conference on August 16-17 in Denver. Workshops will emphasize...

Memphis Police Department.(Coming up)
July 9, 2007... The Memphis Police Department, the University of Memphis CIT Center and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) are sponsoring the 3rd Annual Crisis Intervention Team National Conference in Memphis, Tennessee on August 28-30. The...

World Fellowship for Schizophrenia & Allied Disorders.(Coming up)
July 9, 2007... The World Fellowship for Schizophrenia & Allied Disorders, the Schizophrenia Society of Canada and the Schizophrenia Society on Ontario will sponsor the 2007 International Conference. "Lighting the Path: Hope in Action," on September 27-30 in...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief article)
July 9, 2007... Why do so many people turn to pen and paper when they are feeling sad or angry? Chances are, said UCLA researcher Matthew D. Lieberman, Ph.D., people who write in their journals aren't aware why they feel better in doing so. In Lieberman's...