Thursday, June 26, 2003
Key Facts: Race, Ethnicity & Medical Care From the Kaiser Family Foundation, a "chartbook" (in
Adobe Acrobat format) "intended to serve as a quick reference on racial/ethnic disparities in health, health insurance coverage, and health care access and quality. The document highlights the best available data and research, providing a selective review of the literature. Section One gives an overview of the demographic characteristics of the U.S. population. Section Two presents measures of health status. Section Three profiles patterns of health insurance coverage. Section Four describes findings on access to primary and preventive care. Section Five documents findings on the use of specialty care for heart disease, cancer, asthma, and HIV/AIDS. Whenever possible, data are stratified by both race/ethnicity and by a measure of socioeconomic status."
Current Topic Review: Psychosocial Treatment of Bipolar Disorder Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health review of recent research, including sections on Psychosocial Interventions, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy and Self Help. References are included. [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Social Support for the Bipolar Elderly Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health article - "Bipolar disorder affects persons of all ages (approximately 1% to 2% of the population), and one study revealed the highest prevalence of the disorder in the 18- to 24-year age group. Although a clear picture of the exact prevalence of bipolar disorder among older adults is still lacking, there is a growing awareness of bipolar disorder in this population due to changes in national demographics as well as developing sophistication in the treatment of bipolar illness." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Center for Mental Health Services Director Announced SAMHSA press release - "Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Administrator Charles G. Curie today announced that A. Kathryn Power will be the new director of SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services. SAMHSA, a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is dedicated to providing prevention and treatment services that build resilience and facilitate recovery from substance abuse and mental illness. In her new position, Ms. Power will oversee SAMHSA’s mental health activities."
Abandoning the mentally ill (Colorado) Denver Post editorial - "Recent cuts at the Mental Health Corp. of Denver will prove very costly to the social fabric of the city and state. Cutting social programs in general is a mistake, but eliminating services to those who need mental-health treatment is like watching a train wreck in slow motion...."
Larimer Center for Mental Health cutting 70 patients (Colorado) Story at the
Coloradoan Online - "The Larimer Center for Mental Health is sending letters to approximately 70 of its poorest adult patients informing them that the center no longer will be able to provide them services. Randy Ratliff, the nonprofit center's executive director, confirmed Tuesday that the center started sending out the letters about two weeks ago. The center has been grappling with how to continue serving clients in the midst of heavy state budget cuts."
Mental health agency revamped (Montana) Billings Gazette story - "An attempt by lawmakers to improve children's mental health services across Montana is leading to the opening of a new division in the state Department of Public Health and Human Services next week. On July 1, children's mental health services will be supervised by the newly created Child and Adult Health Resources Division. This new division will separate children's services from adult services while allowing the state to better grasp the program's ever-expanding, multimillion dollar budget..."
State-of-the-art mental health care (Illinois) Journal-Star story - "The new 26-bed mental health unit at Methodist Medical Center includes hand-painted murals of outdoor scenes and state-of-the-art equipment such as lights that indicate a patient's specific problems. Methodist officials showed off the new 12,000-square-foot unit during a news conference Tuesday. A $2.5 million state grant funded the unit, awarded because Zeller Mental Health Center closed last year and other area hospitals also closed their mental health units."
