Monday, July 14, 2003
The Unsolved Challenge of System Reform: The Condition of the Frontline Human Service Workforce A report by the Casey Foundation (in
Adobe Acrobat format) at the
Open Minds web site - "Frontline social services workers are the heart and soul of our nation’s publicly funded human services system. Conservatively estimated at about 3 million, these workers have a tremendous impact on the life chances of vulnerable children and families. This vital role prompted Casey Foundation staff to conduct an in-depth exploration of job conditions on the frontlines for workers in the following sectors: child welfare, child care, juvenile justice, youth services, and employment and training. Our research led us to define eight key factors that—by general agreement—pose the greatest challenge to this workforce..."
The Family Nexus Project, a Collaboration to Better Educate and Empower A
NAMI "State Spotlight" article - "NAMI Colorado in collaboration with Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health--Colorado Chapter (FFCMHCC), The Mental Health Association of Colorado (MHAC) have obtained funds for a statewide juvenile justice grant which they have entitled Family Nexus. The project began in November of 2002. Funds for this two-year endeavor were made available through the Colorado Department of Public Safety, Division of Criminal Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The main goal of this project is to better educate and sanction families who have children with mental health and co-occurring problems and are involved, or at risk of being involved, in the juvenile justice system."
Younger children diagnosed with personality disorders Toronto Star story reprinted at the NAMI web site - "Doctors are diagnosing mental illness in children at younger ages than ever, including in those who are barely out of diapers. The diagnoses include diseases once thought to appear almost exclusively in adults and adolescents, such as major depression and bipolar disorder, and have prompted a surge of new research in preschoolers. Treatment is surging, too. The number of very young children who take psychiatric drugs has more than doubled in the past 15 years, a recent study found."
Fallout from Medicaid cuts far-reaching (Georgia) Opinion column in the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - "... Both the National Governors Association and the Bush administration are working on proposals to convert Medicaid to a "block grant" program. If either proposal is enacted, the federal government will acquire substantial leeway to sharply curtail spending on Medicaid. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities calculates that if large-scale cuts in Medicaid are enacted, up to 1.7 million people nationwide will lose Medicaid coverage and become uninsured. Millions more will face significant reductions in benefits. Efforts to cover more low-income children will be stopped in their tracks."
Public nursing home budgets squeezed by the costs of care (Wisconsin) Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story - "The past few years have been tough for local government-run nursing homes. But things are about to get tougher, operators say, as state and federal revenue streams reduce to a trickle, expenses continue to increase and marketplace pressures pose challenges. ... It's a dilemma faced by long-term care facilities everywhere, but acutely felt by government-run homes. They are under a legal mandate to care for the indigent, elderly and seriously ill, who often cannot afford care in private facilities."
Fewer drug users seek methadone treatment (Virginia) Daily Press story - " year ago, the Hampton Roads Clinic and Support Services Center was overwhelmed by the demand from former heroin addicts wanting methadone treatment, the synthetic opiate that helps former addicts deal with the severe pain and nausea of heroin withdrawal. ... The reasons for the reduced demand aren't clear, but ... some former heroin addicts are receiving pain medication from private physicians, instead of going into the methadone-treatment program."
Mental health reform could mean bleak future for some (North Carolina) Star-News opinion column by Si Cantwell - "After the state reforms its mental health system, will there be enough mental health professionals to meet demand by those who depend on Medicare or Medicaid? That's one of the central questions a year into this four-year transition..."
Mental health levy to return (Ohio) Cincinnati Enquirer story - "After suffering drastic federal and state funding cuts in recent years, the Butler County Mental Health Board will turn to county voters for help. Because of its financial crunch, the board has slashed $3 million from its budget in the past two years, including $1 million last month. These cuts have reduced services to the point that only people on Medicaid have access to Butler County mental health programs, said John Staup, executive director of the Butler County Mental Health Board..."
Bridging the gaps in providing care (Florida) St. Petersburg Times story - ""Confronted by too many gaps in mental health services for children in Citrus County, health providers are looking for stronger ways to help those wading through the complicated, tumultuous waters of mental disorders. Positive solutions are forthcoming: more beds for mental health emergencies, stronger relationships between schools and care providers, and the revival of an intensive therapy brought right into a child's home."
County to digitize mental health records (California) Eureka Times-Standard story - "Conventional paper records for Humboldt County's mental health patients may soon be a thing of the past. This week the Board of Supervisors is expected to approve a contract to acquire a digital medical records imaging system for the Department of Health and Human Services-Mental Health Branch. Mental Health Director Lance Morton said Friday he's enthusiastic about getting the new system because it should not only save the county thousands of dollars in clerical staff costs, but also result in better quality diagnosis and treatment of the county's roughly 2,000 patients."
