Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Approaches to the Treatment of Mania A new CME unit from
Medscape - " Bipolar disorder is an episodic illness treated in phases, with each phase presenting its own set of challenges to the treating physician. Mania is frequently associated with behavioral disturbances that can have serious consequences for patients and those around them. Rapid control is important, even though many manic patients are uncooperative. As time goes by and behavioral problems decrease, the type and intensity of treatments change, as do the goals for therapy. Other factors come into play, including the involvement and education of family. Through all phases of the illness, the clinician needs to be vigilant about suicide risk. This article discusses current approaches to the pharmacologic and psychosocial treatment of bipolar disorder in its different phases for both adults and children, as well as strategies for the assessment and management of suicide risk." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
States Awarded Federal Grants to Fund Youth Anti-Drug Programs SAMHSA press release - "Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced that the governors offices in 14 states and territories will receive State Incentive Grants to reduce illegal drug, alcohol and tobacco use among children, youth, and young adults. There are two types of grants -- one-year grants for planning programs and three-year grants for enhancing operating programs. The grants support statewide planning and strategies to reach children, youth, young adults, parents and families with effective substance abuse prevention programs."
A change in Hazleton mental health care picture (Pennsylvania)
Times Leader story - "The closure of Hazleton General Hospital's mental health unit last month has resulted in concerns about longer waits for admission to alternate units for some Hazleton-area patients. But officials at counseling centers and area hospitals say longer-than-normal delays for inpatient beds are rare and patients are receiving treatment. One said problems in finding beds for local mental health patients are probably more a result of state funding cuts than the closure of Hazleton General's unit. Greater Hazleton Health Alliance officials closed Hazleton General's inpatient 20-bed mental health unit on Aug. 1. The area is being converted into a 28-bed medical/surgical unit."
Lawmakers urged to take time studying hospital closure (Kansas) Lawrence Journal World story - "State officials were urged Monday to go slow when considering the potentially explosive topic of closing a state hospital for people with disabilities. ... A special committee of House and Senate budget-writers is examining the issue for a couple of days between legislative sessions. The state operates five hospitals at a cost of about $103.4 million per year; $71 million of that is federal money, and the rest is state funds. The hospitals for people with severe mental illness are Larned State Hospital, Osawatomie State Hospital and Rainbow Mental Health Facility in Kansas City, Kan. The two hospitals for people with developmental disabilities are Kansas Neurological Institute in Topeka and Parsons State Hospital and Training Center..."
New rules to help faith-based groups get funds New York Times story reprinted in the
San Francisco Chronicle - "The Bush administration acted Monday to make it easier for religious organizations to receive federal funding for a range of social welfare programs and awarded $30.5 million in grants to encourage religious and community groups to do more to help people in need. The actions followed through on President Bush's directives to use nonlegislative means to remove barriers to federal funding of social programs operated by churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious organizations. They brought renewed criticism from groups who say the administration is using taxpayer money to support and potentially promote organized religion in violation of the principle of separation of church and state. The White House said it had finalized regulations that will allow religious groups to compete for nearly $20 billion in grants to assist substance abuse, mental health, welfare-to-work and other programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services."
States face scaled-down health care Feature story in the
Modesto Bee (California) - "Health care for the poor is being scaled back across the nation as states struggle to match lower tax receipts with more patients seeking more expensive health services, a private study has found. While the outlook is for deep cuts in health care for 40 million poor, elderly and disabled Medi-caid beneficiaries, relief might come through bipartisan state action focused on the problem rather than on politics, the head of the Kansas Medicaid program said Monday..."
Report Reveals Problems Facing Disabled Parents (UK) Story at
PNN.com - "According to a new report released in the UK, social services, the National Health Service (NHS) and schools working with disabled parents and their children, need to radically re-think attitudes and procedures that are undermining family life. Inadequate support, unequal access to services and the negative views of staff can be as much a barrier to good parenting as disability itself, according to a task force established by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The task force, made up of representatives from Government, social services, voluntary groups and disabled parents' organizations, spent two years taking evidence from parents, professionals and researchers. Its final report identifies examples of good practice, but also lists a catalogue of policy and practice failures that have placed disabled parents and their families under stress." See also the
related resources at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation web site.
