Thursday, January 16, 2003
Suicide Risk Assessment and Management Current Opinion in Psychiatry article at
Medscape - "Suicide risk assessment and management can be particularly challenging in patients with personality disorders. This paper reviews recent research into the assessment and clinical management of suicide risk in patients with personality diagnoses." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
States Look to Lower Medicaid Drug Costs ABC News story - "As states face large budget shortfalls from rising Medicaid costs, several are forming a nonprofit organization to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs. The organization, which is not expected to be operational before the end of the year, marks a growing trend by states to try new and innovative ways to deal with drug costs." The states involved are Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
Recovering Your Mental Health Six new booklets have been added to this series from CMHS/ADCA, developed in collaboration with author, lecturer, and consumer leader, Mary Ellen Copeland. You can view the contents by clicking on the booklet title, then on the individual pages listed in the table of contents for each booklet. Hard copy can be ordered from CMHS.
County looks for help from neighbors (Wisconsin) Green Bay News-Chronicle story - "Doubts were expressed about its viability, but the Brown County Human Services Committee will investigate the possibility of having neighboring counties become Brown County's partners in a regional mental health center."
Changes in store for mental health care (North Carolina) News14 story - "Wake County is still waiting for the state's final decision on the future of Dorothea Dix Hospital. In the meantime, county health officials are moving ahead with plans to downsize state hospitals and increase community-based care programs. Members of the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill are fighting to keep Dorothea Dix State Hospital open as is."
GHA drops mental health services (Ohio) Cincinnati Enquirer story - "Group Health Associates, Greater Cincinnati's largest multispecialty physician group, plans to discontinue providing mental health services in about three months. The decision will affect several thousand patients who have been receiving treatment and counseling from three psychiatrists and about 25 other professionals, including psychologists, social workers and nurses. Group Health Associates has been reorganizing itself because fewer health insurers are selling 'capitated' managed care plans..."
Mental health issues addressed at meeting (Oklahoma) McAlester News-Capital & Democrat story - "A group of mental health professionals, volunteers and concerned area residents hope state legislators got the message following a Tuesday night meeting at the Kiamichi Technology Center."
Substance-Abuse Care Unit To Stay Open (Connecticut) Hartford Courant story - "A 40-bed substance-abuse treatment unit at Connecticut Valley Hospital that was supposed to close Friday is going to stay open, state officials announced Tuesday. But hospital workers who were hoping the decision would save their jobs might not be so lucky, state officials said."
Bankruptcy is closing in on Magellan SunSpot story - "Magellan Health Services Inc. reached a deadline with its lenders yesterday, but had no announcement last night on whether it had reached an agreement or been granted another extension. Without an extension on its debt agreements, the Columbia-based mental health insurer could be forced into a bankruptcy filing, it had said in a filing Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission."
