POLICY
Developments From Healthcare, Education & Community Circles
Mental Health Ambulance Start Up
With suicide rates on the rise, there’s an emerging question of how people in a crisis can get the most immediate help. Mental Health ambulances have been popping up overseas, but have yet to reach the U.S.
Mobile Library Connects Mental Health Readers
Social media is often written off as bad for your mental health, however, there are some small places on the internet that can be helpful. Damian Smith, 33, of the United Kingdom is doing his part to fight the stigma of mental health by creating his own mental health mobile library.
Therapy Dogs Aide After Mass Shootings
Therapy dogs are a powerful aide used today to help those suffering from a range of conditions including people in emotional distress, those dealing with mental health issues, and even after mass shootings.
Insurer Program Attempts to Integrate Medical & Behavioral Data
In an effort to improve health outcomes and lower costs, health insurer Cigna is launching a Collaborative Care Model pilot focused on integrating behavioral and medical care. The Cigna Better Connected Health program aims to discover and implement “mind and body” healthcare solutions by teaming primary care providers with behaviorists.
Docs & Hackers Meet-Talk About Mental Health, Diabetes ‘Apps’
A group of physicians and tech leaders meet about once a month at a Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care event to brainstorm ideas on technology like new mobile apps and discuss tech start-ups that can make a positive impact on patient outcomes.
Unexpected Diabetes Hurdles
Diabetes has passed cancer as the most expensive disease for chronic illness at $15-18,000 a year.
Avoiding Autism’s Cliff
Only 36% of autistic young adults attend any postsecondary education, just 37% received vocational services and/or job training after high school, and about 19% live independently away from parents without supervision, according to an Autism Speaks study.
Therapy App GameChanger
A new therapy app, which costs one-third of typical in-person sessions and serves close to 1 million, is the latest telemedicine model that's trying to improve mental health by giving people a chance to chat for less than $50 a week with a licensed therapist, all on a smartphone.
Women take Medical School Lead
There are now more women in medical school than men according to the Association of Medical Colleges. This is no doubt a positive development as we move head first into an era when attention to behaviors and mental health are going to be front and center.
200,000+ Follow Addiction Social Media Sites, But Parents Could Use Better Direction
Twitter is the latest social media vehicle to address substance abuse, recently promoting the Addiction Resource Center, an online platform that helps connect people with substance use disorders to local resources. The site gets your attention. It confronts visitors with a question prompt, asking what concerns you—your own substance use or a loved ones.
Calm Harm App May Have Value For Teens, Adults
It is estimated that one in 12 teenagers, mostly girls, self-harm, according to a study by the Center for Adolescent Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia. In an effort to help those suffering with mental health issues, a new app called ‘Calm Harm’ is targeting those with anxiety or depression.
Lady Gaga Brings Mental Health First Aid To Shows
12 million people a year are trained in CPR, but only 1 million people have been trained by a mental health first aid program over the past ten years. “Our goal is essentially to take mental health first aid to the same level of importance as CPR,” said Suzi Craig, the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships and Policy of Mental Health Connecticut, Suzi Craig.
Dizziness Case Stumps Physicians, Leads Hospital To Elevate Psych Investment
Ryan Breshears, chief behavioral officer at Wellstar's Medical Group in Georgia, had a tough case to make: the hospital's behavioral costs were going up and its revenues were slightly down.
Addiction Collaboration
A new Center for Behavioral Health Sciences opened at Cleveland State University in an effort to address the opioid crisis and prevent the further spread of addiction ‘by bringing together expertise in social work, psychology, public health, education, and urban policy.’