Mental Health Weekly articles from July 2010

Mental Health Weekly archives from July 2010

Federal court blocks Calif. county from terminating community-based services: decision comes days before anniversary of historic Americans with Disability Act.(Report)
July 26, 2010... In a decision that could well be deemed a timely outcome given the 20th anniversary this week of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the landmark legislation that prohibits the discrimination of people with disabilities, a U.S. District...

Former psychosocial club in New York evolves into peer-run operation.(Report)
July 26, 2010... The name of the operation remains unchanged as New Directions of Greater Rochester, but perhaps the "New" should now be marked in bold capital letters for an entity that could be establishing a model for peer-run support services in New York...

Ariz. budget crisis prompts transition support for MH consumers.(State Budget Watch)(Report)
July 26, 2010... In the few weeks following the implementation of major budget cuts impacting non-Medicaid eligible consumers with serious mental illness (SMI), Arizona's provider and advocacy community, along with Magellan Health Services of Arizona, have been...

Time is ripe for doing business in a managed care environment.(FROM THE FIELD...)
July 26, 2010... Since the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) passed into law, there has been a raft of reasons for health plans and providers to delay making significant changes in the way they do business. The reasons for waiting...

Study on premature mortality supports need for integrated care.(Report)
July 26, 2010... Premature mortality in people with serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) who lose significantly more years of potential life than the general population, has important implications for the treatment system, including more calls for...

NAMI fumes as BP ignores request for help with MH crisis.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(National Alliance on Mental Illness)(Brief article)
July 26, 2010... The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) "blasted" BP for ignoring Louisiana's appeals for help in funding mental health care in communities affected by the BP oil spill, PR Newswire reported last week. Louisiana's Department of Health and...

U.S. troop suicides at record high.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
July 26, 2010... Increased stress after nine years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq is taking its toll on U.S. troops, said Paul Kawika Martin of the Peach Action Organization in a July 17 interview with Press TV. Thirty-two U.S. soldiers took their lives last...

SAMHSA responds to mental health problems related to oil spill.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)(Brief article)
July 26, 2010... Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) experts announced last week that they are working closely with state mental health coordinators in the Gulf States to provide technical assistance as they assess the impact and...

Idaho Medicaid providers say they aren't being fully reimbursed.(STATE NEWS)(Brief article)
July 26, 2010... Eric Pettingill, owner of Idaho Falls-based Mental Wellness Center, worries he won't be able to meet payroll in two weeks if Medicaid reimbursement checks don't come through in full and promptly, the Idaho Falls Post Register reported July 18....

N.Y. governor announces $30 million in grants for BH care.(STATE NEWS)(Brief article)
July 26, 2010... Governor David A. Paterson announced last week the availability of $30 million in grants to support capital projects that address needs in the delivery of behavioral health services. The funding was approved by the legislature as part of the...

In case you haven't heard ...
July 26, 2010... CBS reports that people suffering from the agony of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may one day find relief with Ecstasy. A small clinical trial found that 83 percent of participants treated with a combination of...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
July 26, 2010... The American Psychological Association (APA) will hold its annual conference August 12-15 in San Diego, Calif. Visit www.apa.org/convention/index.aspx for more information. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration...

Collaborative care project participants seek integration at multiple sites.
July 19, 2010... Around twice a week, a psychiatrist and a social worker from the David Lawrence Center in southwest Florida leave the familiarity of their community mental health setting to serve patients in Collier Health Services' community health clinic...

Illinois budget crisis slashes MH programs, provider reimbursement.(State Budget Watch)(Report)
July 19, 2010... As Illinois grapples with a $13 billion budget deficit and experiencing what observers say is the worst public health crisis of any state, including California, community mental health providers are struggling to stay in business and provide...

W.Va. report highlights fewer BH services and Medicaid shift.(West Virginia)(West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources)(Report)
July 19, 2010... West Virginia mental health providers, still fuming over the state's decision to transition Medicaid beneficiaries to a managed care program that they say causes confusion in an already complex system and a potential loss of essential...

Study links youth drug-related ER visits to suicide attempts.(emergency department)(Report)
July 19, 2010... A new series of studies conducted and released last week by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that nearly 1 in 10 drug-related hospital emergency department (ER) visits made by adolescents involved...

Telecare, Pa. hospital launch inpatient program for seniors.
July 19, 2010... Telecare Corporation, a California-based provider of behavioral health services, has partnered with a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based hospital to develop a new geropsychiatric unit to provide acute medical and mental health services for seniors. The...

Study reports jails are largest mental health institutions.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
July 19, 2010... New York's Riker's Island, Chicago's Cook County Jail and the Los Angeles County Jail are the largest mental health institutions in the nation, according to a new study by the International Association for Forensic and Correctional Psychology...

Alzheimer's disease may increase risk of anemia and seizures.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
July 19, 2010... Alzheimer's disease may increase the risk of getting other potentially disabling health conditions, including seizures and anemia, according to new research presented July 13 at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's...

Mass. correctional facility reports high number of suicides by inmates.(STATE NEWS)(Brief article)
July 19, 2010... The rate of inmate suicides in Massachusetts is eight times the national average, Boston.com reported on July 14. The incident is the eighth suicide to occur from another person in custody of the state Department of Corrections. In 2007, a...

Surge in ER patients strains North Carolina medical center.(STATE NEWS)(Brief article)
July 19, 2010... A surge in emergency room patients needing psychiatric care has strained Carolinas Medical Center's (CMC's) overall ability to provide psychiatric services, according to an internal hospital memorandum obtained by the Charlotte Observer. CMC...

Centerstone Research Institute wins Best Practices Award.(BUSINESS)(Brief article)
July 19, 2010... Centerstone Research Institute (CRI), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving mental healthcare through research and information technology, has been recognized as a Best Practices Award Winner by The Data Warehousing Institute...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
July 19, 2010... The American Psychological Association (APA) will hold its annual conference August 12-15 in San Diego, Calif. Visit www.apa.org/convention/index.aspx for more information. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration...

In case you haven't heard ...
July 19, 2010... A mental health campaign in Yorkshire, England, called "Chill Out Don't Burn Out," is dishing out ice cream cones and other frozen treats from a specially-hired van, the Daily Mail reported July 11. The initiative by the National Health Service...

Psychiatrists, care managers help improve depression care in Minnesota M.D. clinics.(Report)
July 12, 2010... A two-year-old program to improve the quality of primary care depression treatment in Minnesota health plans is achieving noteworthy results on both care delivery and payment variables, and the results are carrying relevance for specialty...

Gulf oil spill prompts officials, counselors to mobilize and address MH concerns.(mental health)
July 12, 2010... Citing an emerging behavioral health crisis, mental health officials in Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Alabama have requested millions of dollars from BP (British Petroleum) to pay for mental health outreach and service programs related to...

Communication key between providers, consumers over privacy.
July 12, 2010... The use of electronic health care records for consumers with mental illness can undoubtedly open the doors of communication between mental health and other health care providers, and improve patient care, particularly for consumers with...

House introduces bill to increase Medicaid funding for MH clinics.
July 12, 2010... House lawmakers this month introduced legislation to enhance Medicaid funding for health centers, organizations and clinics that offer community-based treatment and support for populations with mental and addiction disorders. The legislation,...

BH advocates convince lawmakers to sign on to HIT bill.(The National Council on the Hill)
July 12, 2010... A health information technology bill that would help mental health providers access electronic health records grants and incentives and help healthcare providers and hospitals establish a nationwide health information technology system, received...

Bazelon Center announces support for Kagan for Supreme Court.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
July 12, 2010... The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law today announced support for President Obama's nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court. "Based on her articulate and thoughtful answers to tough questions at...

Recession may be driving need for more MH professionals.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)
July 12, 2010... Demand for psychiatrists is growing faster than for any other medical specialty, according to a new survey by national physician search firm Merritt Hawkins, an AMN Healthcare Company PRNewswire reported July 2. "When the economy goes down,...

Medicare Rights Center supports CMS appointment.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)(Brief article)
July 12, 2010... Medicare Rights Center (MRC) president, Joe Baker, announced July 7 MRC's support of the appointment of Donald M. Berwick, M.D., an innovator in the field of health policy, to serve as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid...

Indiana to transition MH services to community-based care.(STATE NEWS)(Brief article)
July 12, 2010... The Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA), part of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), last week announced a plan to improve access to community-based care for specific patient populations. These...

Paolo del Vecchio.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Gloria Huntley Award)(Brief article)
July 12, 2010... The Consumer Council of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has honored Paolo del Vecchio with its annual Gloria Huntley Award. Del Vecchio is associate director for Consumer Affairs at the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of...

Kathleen McCann, R.N., Ph.D.(NAMES IN THE NEWS)(Brief article)
July 12, 2010... Kathleen McCann, R.N., Ph.D., has been named director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs for the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) and will serve as the NAPHS liaison to the National Quality Forum, the association...

HHS launches new consumer-focused health care website.(RESOURCES)(Department of Health and Human Services)(Brief article)
July 12, 2010... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled an innovative new online tool July 2 allowing consumers to connect to new information and resources that will help them access quality, affordable health care coverage. Called for...

Coming up ...(Calendar)
July 12, 2010... The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health (TA Center) will sponsor the 2010 Rural Behavioral Health Symposium in Glendale, Ariz. on September 21-23.Visit http://gucchdtacenter.georgetown.edu for more information. ...

In case you haven't heard ...
July 12, 2010... The Army is using dogs "much more" to help soldiers recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to the Army Surgeon General's special assistant for mental health, Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., who spoke July 2 at the...