Thursday, December 05, 2002

Paths to Recovery
A Call for Proposals from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (deadline February 10, 2003) - "This initiative is designed to strengthen the substance abuse field's ability to improve the process of care that facilitates patient access to and retention in substance abuse treatment programs."  
  

Antidepressants During Pregnancy: Researchers Assess Safety of Prenatal Exposure to SSRIs
Brown University Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update article at Medscape - "Concern over the potential effects of neonatal exposure to SSRI antidepressants has risen over the past several years, especially after recent reports of a possible discontinuation syndrome in neonates exposed to paroxetine." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Prisons as New Asylums
Article in Current Opinion in Psychiatry at Medscape on the situation of mentally ill patients in the prison system - "The large number of mentally ill inmates necessitates the further development of person-centered and need-oriented care structures inside and outside the criminal justice system for the purpose of prevention. It is important for research to compare all state systems that examine not only care aspects but also legal constructs such as criminal liability and the competence to stand trial." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Staying Covered: The Importance of Retaining Health Insurance for Low-Income Families
A report published by the Commonwealth Fund by Leighton Ku and Donna Cohen Ross of the Center on Budget Policy. The report outlines recommendations for state and federal governments and employers that could significantly improve health insurance retention (Adobe Acrobat format).  
  

Hill's Gridlock Left Health Issues Unaddressed
Washington Post story on the 107th Congress, which ended last month and despite considering health legislation that "rejected virtually every significant health care proposal they had considered during the past two years, including efforts to expand insurance, better protect patients and curb the nation's medical expenditures," even though the legislation they considered "came from across the ideological spectrum and included causes to which President Bush lent direct support."  
  

Dodd pledges aid for non-English speaking patients (Connecticut)
Middletown Press story on the impact of federal legislation authored by Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd that allows underprivileged and uninsured people to receive health care - and allows for new mental health and substance abuse treatment or the expansion of existing programs at community health centers such as the Middletown Community Health Center.  
  

Deep cuts loom for county services (Kansas)
Wichita Eagle story on cuts in Sedgwick County services "as the state budget crisis trickles down to the county level," including cuts in public health, mental health and corrections programs, and in services for the developmentally disabled.  
  

Magellan Health Names Industry Veteran as CEO
Washington Post story - "Magellan Health Services Inc. has named Steven J. Shulman, a managed-care veteran who led the recent turnaround of Prudential HealthCare, as its new chief executive to lead the mental health care provider's struggle to reduce its debt."  
  

Call for school-based mental health services for “self-harming” teenagers (UK)
Neurolink story - "Mental health initiatives based in schools in England need to be boosted, say researchers who have uncovered the extent of deliberate self-harm among adolescents in the country."