Wednesday, May 21, 2003
No Medicaid cuts in Wyoming, other states Wyoming Tribune-Eagle story - "With many states scrambling to rein in skyrocketing Medicaid costs, the Cowboy State is among a handful bucking the cutback trend. Buoyed by a budget surplus and a healthy economy, Wyoming is one of three states that have made no cuts this fiscal year to its Medicaid program..... Other states not cutting Medicaid include Alabama which operates at minimum federal guidelines and New Mexico another state with a budget surplus that is asking for an additional $80 million to keep pace with next years expected growth."
Treatment Compliance "Still a Problem in Schizophrenia" Health Media story at
PsycPORT - "Researchers from the University of Texas followed a group of 59 patients with schizophrenia for three months to see how well they were able to follow their prescribed treatment with an oral antipsychotic. Blood samples were taken at hospital discharge and then again three months later to assess treatment compliance. Pill counts and self-reports were also assessed. The findings, presented this week at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, showed that less than 12 per cent of patients had refused to take medication."
Voters support new taxes (Oregon) Story in
The Oregonian - "Multnomah County voters approved Oregon's only county income tax Tuesday, responding to warnings of overflowing classrooms, middle-class flight and freed inmates if the new tax failed. ... Among the add-backs: mental health services for as many as 3,000 uninsured adults; in-home support for 600 senior citizens; 386 jail beds for violent offenders; and east county sheriff's deputies..."
Recovery house sets example (Ohio) Marietta Times story - "The Mid-Ohio Valley Fellowship Home ... is a model for community-based residential recovery homes throughout the area, say those associated with the facility. The 30-year-old program has blended into the neighborhood and expanded from a facility for male alcoholics only into a comprehensive family program that includes separate services for men, women, and women with children. The Mid-Ohio Valley Fellowship Home is being used as a model for how a proposed home in Marietta would operate..."
Attention deficit may affect 4 in 100 adults San Francisco Chronicle article - "Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the condition usually associated with kids who can't sit still or concentrate, is not just a childhood condition and often goes undiagnosed in adults, according to researchers. As many as 4 out of every 100 adults in the United States may suffer symptoms of ADHD, which in adults can cause significant problems at work and in relationships, researchers appearing at the American Psychiatric Association meeting in San Francisco said this week."
State budget on governor's desk, special session looming (Missouri) Marshfield Mail on the state's emerging budget crisis - "On Monday, Gov. Holden said he would veto a bill cutting funding to state mental health services. The move was called "risky" by some lawmakers and it was seen as a way of lengthening the budget standoff. The governor also ended weeks of speculation by announcing his intention to hold a special session. He has not set a date for the session, but the body can not reconvene before the last bill reaches the governor's desk Tuesday."
Red Tape Squeezes Access to Mental Health Care Brief
Ascribe Newswire item on a report published in the May 2003 issue of
General Hospital Psychiatry - "While competition among managed care organizations is thought to improve access to medical care, the "administrative burden" of juggling their policies and procedures may limit patient access to high-quality mental health services, according to a national survey of more than 7,000 primary care physicians." Full text of the report is only available through
General Hospital Psychiatry for a fee.
