Monday, January 20, 2003
Suicide Risk Assessment and Management Article in
Current Opinion in Psychiatry at
Medscape that "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].
Homeless Management Information Systems Implementation Guide Adobe Acrobat version of the guide to systems for collecting Congressionally mandated data on the homeless - "Homeless Information Management Systems (HMIS). An HMIS is a relatively new concept that communities can use to collect ongoing data on people who are homeless who use service programs. Many communities lack a consistent means to identify service needs, barriers to accessing services, and program-, region-, and system-wide results. Now, using longitudinal data, communities can track service and demand trends. These data are critical to accurately calculate the size and needs of the homeless population as well as the outcomes of specific interventions and programs. Policymakers, agency directors, homeless program consumers, and advocates require this information for service and systems planning and advocacy. The HMIS Implementation Guide provides communities with valuable direction and technical assistance resources on strategies to collect information on people who are homeless."
NAMI: TRIAD Project to Collect Data for Advocacy Asks What is Necessary for Recovery NAMI press release on TRIAD, the Treatment/Recovery Information and Advocacy Database - "TRIAD is a process by which NAMI, in collaboration with other stake-holders, will collect a variety of data that characterizes the gap between the services, supports, and environment we all agree are necessary for recovery and what exists in each state. But TRIAD will not just collect data - it also seeks to inform advocacy efforts with better data to achieve better investment and better services to ultimately close that gap."
Feeling squeezed: New state drug copay said to pose special risk for mentally ill (Massachusetts) Boston Globe story on the new $2 copayment (raised from a 50-cent surcharge) mandated by law and affecting nearly every Medicaid patient in the state who takes prescription drugs- "...for severely mentally ill people ..., providers warn, the new charge has special risks. It creates another obstacle for a group of people who already have trouble staying on their medications - and who can become suicidal or violent if they stop taking them."
Judge OKs Arkansas Mental Health Suit Deal AP story at
InteliHealth - "A federal judge approved a settlement in a lawsuit that accused the state of violating the rights of mentally ill inmates by delaying psychological examinations and treatment. The settlement obligates the Arkansas State Hospital as of July 1 to mentally evaluate prisoners within 30 days of a trial judge's order."
Prescription Drug Abuse Rising Rapidly SAMHSA press release - "Abuse of prescription drugs is rising rapidly in the United States. Data released today indicate that in 2001 almost three million youth aged 12 to 17 had used prescription medications non-medically in their lifetimes."
Maine Medical program aims to help patients with mental illness (Maine) Brief WMTW story - "A new program at Maine Medical Center aims to help patients suffering from mental health crises by linking them up with someone who understand the ordeal from their perspective. The peer support program in the emergency room is winning high praise from medical staff and administrators at the Portland hospital."
