Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Drug Courts, Treatment Programs Seek Trust, Understanding
An excellent September 5 feature story at
JoinTogether that was somehow overlooked earlier - "Drug courts and treatment programs have a symbiotic relationship: These days, with so much treatment funding flowing through the criminal-justice system, it's fair to say that neither can long survive without the other. But as a recent conference shows, the relationship between the courts and treatment programs remains uneasy. Experts at the New England Association of Drug Court Professionals annual meeting, held in July in Bristol, R.I., indicated that trust and understanding -- or a lack thereof -- remains a critical issue for both sides." See also the web site of the
National Association of Drug Court Professionals (though be forewarned about the audio welcome...), which has a number of
publications, among them the
NADCP's Training & Technical Assistance brochure,
Research on Drug Courts: A Critical Review 2001 Update (both in
Adobe Acrobat format), including a
resource and funding guide (in
Word format).
U.S. Health Officials Warn of Potential Payment "Train Wreck" September 11
Reuters Health story at
Medscape - "With just over a month to go before the deadline for healthcare payers and providers in the U.S. to meet uniform federal standards for the transmission of electronic medical information, too much of the health system remains unprepared, federal health officials told reporters Tuesday. In August, said Leslie Norwalk, acting deputy administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), fewer than 11% of Medicare claims were submitted in compliance with the "transaction and code set" rules under the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The codes are intended to provide a uniform way for computers that handle healthcare information to talk to each other, a goal of the "administrative simplification" sections of the 1996 law." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Study Links Older Bipolar Drug to Fewer Suicides New York Times feature story - "Lithium, an old and inexpensive drug that has fallen out of favor with many psychiatrists, is better than the most commonly prescribed drug, Depakote, at preventing suicide in people who have manic-depressive illness, researchers are reporting. ... The new study, published today in The Journal of the American Medical Association, found that patients taking Depakote were 2.7 times as likely to kill themselves as those taking lithium. Earlier studies by others had also found that lithium could prevent suicide, but today's report is the first to compare suicide and attempted suicide rates in lithium and Depakote users. The study was based on medical records of 20,638 patients aged 14 and older in Washington State and California who were treated from 1994 to 2001." [Viewing
New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].
New Antipsychotic Appears Safe and Effective for Acute Bipolar Mania
Reuters Health story at
Medscape - "Aripiprazole, a novel antipsychotic agent, seems to be a safe, effective, and well-tolerated treatment for the acute manic or mixed episodes of bipolar disorder, according to a report published in the September issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. Although lithium, divalproex sodium, and olanzapine are known to be effective treatments for acute mania, nonresponse rates with each can be as high as 50%, lead author Dr. Paul E. Keck and colleagues, from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, note." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
FDA Seeks Diabetes Warning on Antipsychotic Drugs Brief
Reuters Health story at
Medscape - "Eli Lilly and Co. on Wednesday said U.S. regulators have requested that six of the most widely used antipsychotic drugs carry a warning that they can increase the risk of elevated blood sugar and diabetes." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Inova's Alexandria Psychiatric Unit Closing (Virginia)
Washington Post story - "Inova Health System plans to shutter its 19-bed psychiatric ward at Alexandria Hospital in January, a decision that Northern Virginia mental health advocates warn will force indigent patients to travel farther for care, further burden law enforcement and strain already crowded wards elsewhere. Inova officials said yesterday that the decision to close was prompted by low patient numbers at the Alexandria site and a dwindling pool of full-time specialists. ... The decision comes at a bad time for mental health providers in Northern Virginia, who were struggling to cope with the proposed relocation of Dominion Hospital, a psychiatric unit, from Falls Church to Loudoun County, and the possible relocation of Inova Mount Vernon to a site eight miles south."
Area woman honored for pioneering mental illness aid for victims, families (Ohio)
Story in the
News-Journal (Mansfield OH) - "Mary Kay Pierce was awarded the Richland County mental health board's first 'Caring Heart Award.' Pierce was honored Tuesday evening during the Richland County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board's 35th anniversary dinner. Pierce's brother was 23, in training to be a priest, developed schizophrenia in 1980. She later co-founded the Richland County chapter of the National Alliance of the Mentally Ill. Pierce has been active organizing programs to support families who have loved ones with a brain disease, and educate the community about mental illness."
State Senate to examine mental health services (Michigan)
Story in the
Macomb Daily - "The Michigan Senate returns to work this week in search of solutions to issues ranging from student testing to mental health. It won't be easy to find answers. The top issues involve thorny conflicts that have tied up officials for months or years. ... The most crucial matters facing lawmakers include: ... Opening hearings on mental health programs in Michigan. The hearings, which start Wednesday, are to be held by the Senate Health Policy Committee and the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Department of Community Health budget."
Mental health chief seeks solutions (Maine) Kennebec Journal - Morning Sentinel story - "Acting state mental health chief Sabra Burdick said leaders of her agency are pushing forward to follow a judge's orders despite disappointment at being found in contempt of the 13-year-old AMHI consent decree. ... Superior Court Chief Justice Nancy D. Mills ordered the state mental health system be taken over by two court-appointed administrators, known as receivers, in a ruling on Sept. 10." See also the related story
Wathen seeks candidates for administration of AMHI and, in the
Bangor Daily News, the story
More than Money. In other Maine news, see the Portland Press Herald story,
State finds $37 million DHS snafu - "The state has uncovered a $37 million budget problem at the Department of Human Services, just months after state officials and a consultant found millions of dollars in accounting mistakes in a separate program at the DHS. The latest problem involves a series of errors in the Medicaid program that occurred over a period of years and finally came to light this year..."
