Friday, October 10, 2003

Treating Depression to Remission Is Crucial
Medscape Medical News story - "More than 50% of patients who experience an episode of depression are likely to have a recurrence. Patients with three or more episodes of depression have an 80% to 90% likelihood of recurrent episodes. These statistics point to the importance of treating depression to the point of remission rather than just to the point of symptom relief, researchers at the University of Cincinnati told attendees here today at the American Academy of Family Physicians annual scientific assembly..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Medicaid: Issues and Challenges
Testimony to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health by Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation and executive director of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, "on the issues and challenges facing Medicaid in providing health and long-term care coverage for the low-income population." (Adobe Acrobat format)  
  

Companies honored for psychologically healthy workplace practices
Press release from the American Psychological Association Practice Directorate - "New employee hiring teams, programs that involve employees in making business decisions and even unorthodox policies such as allowing dogs in the workplace are just a few of the innovative best practices companies nationwide are implementing in an effort to create better places for their employees to work, according to a new publication released today by the American Psychological Association (APA). These business best practices came to light as part of APA's new national recognition program – "The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award: Best Practices Honors," which recognizes companies for innovative programs and policies that support psychologically healthy work environments. Companies ranging from BellSouth to Washington State University and Small Dog Electronics are among the 15 companies nationwide honored for their ongoing commitment to workplace health and well-being." At the APA Practice web site, there is an introduction to the awards, a page on the 2003 Best Practices Honorees and an Adobe Acrobat version of the full Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards Report.  
  

HHS Announces Over $31 Million to Aid Children Who Experience Trauma
SAMHSA press release - "Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced cooperative agreements totaling $31 million over 4 years, to improve the quality of treatment and services received by children and adolescents who have experienced traumatic events. These awards are also designed to increase access to treatment and services throughout the country. The total for the first year is $7.7 million. The National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative also includes an additional $1 million, one-year supplement for a coordinating center."  
  

Case Before High Court Centers On Job Rights, Addict's Recovery
Washington Post story on the appeal of a case involving a man who lost his job in 1991 because of drug use was not entitled to the protection of federal anti-discrimination law when he tried to get rehired three years later, saying he had recovered from cocaine and alcohol addiction. A U.S. Court of Appeals held last year that the man was entitled to a jury trial to decide whether the company's refusal to rehire him violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.  
  

Summit explores managing mentally ill (Utah)
Salt Lake Tribune story - "For the first time, many agencies that treat, arrest and prosecute the state's mentally ill gathered Thursday to talk about ways to do their jobs better. The gathering in Salt Lake City thrilled Vicki Cottrell, the executive director of Utah's arm of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill and organizer of the NAMI Mental Health/Criminal Justice Summit. ... The summit drew more than two dozen attendees from the Salt Lake City Police Department and the city attorney, the Utah Attorney General's Office, Valley Mental Health, the Department of Corrections, the Salt Lake County Jail, the state's juvenile and criminal courts and advocate groups."  
  

Drug Treatment for Pregnant Women, New Mothers to Receive $8.9 Million
HHS press release reprinted at Yahoo - "Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced grants of $8.9 million over three years to provide quality residential substance abuse treatment services for pregnant women and mothers with young children up to twelve months. The programs are designed to also provide services to the infants and their siblings suffering from the effects of maternal alcohol and drug use."  
  

Mental health on radar (Pennsylvania)
Sentinel Online story - "The needs of people battling mental illness and substance abuse will be the subject of a task force convened by a local foundation with money to spend on health issues. The 30-member task force will begin meeting next week and could complete a report with recommendations as early as next fall, says Bets Clever, executive director of Carlisle Area Health and Wellness Foundation, the agency sponsoring the study."  
  

Eight receive mental-health awards (Oregon)
Story in the Statesman (Portland) on eight people - among them service providers, citizen advocates and a client - who were recognized with the 2003 Mental Health Awards for Excellence, sponsored by the Oregon Department of Human Services, the Oregon Psychiatric Association and the Oregon affiliate of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.