Tuesday, November 11, 2003
Court Treatment System Is Found to Help Drug Offenders Stay Clean New York Times article - "Nonviolent drug offenders who complete judge-supervised treatment programs are significantly less likely to commit crimes again than those who serve prison time, according to a new study by an independent research arm of the New York State court system. The study underscores what New York's chief judge, officials at the United States Justice Department and local judges across the country have believed for years, without the benefit of formal research: that state-run 'drug courts' offering court-supervised treatment programs are far better at preventing future criminal behavior than prison is, and that they do so at a fraction of the cost." [Viewing
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Drugs of 4 patients subbed without OK (Massachusetts) Boston Globe story - " A doctor at a state mental health facility changed patients' medications last year so that they would be eligible for a study of a new psychiatric drug, violating basic guidelines for research on human subjects and causing dangerous side effects in a 43-year-old man with schizophrenia, a state investigation has found. The Disabled Persons Protection Commission uncovered numerous ethical violations at the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center by Boston Medical Center physicians contracted to treat patients there."
A Much Neglected Risk Factor In Elderly Mental Disorders Article in
Current Opinion in Psychiatry at
Medscape - "...While mild to moderate levels of alcohol consumption have a protective effect on the occurrence of dementia, the concurrence of alcohol use disorders, depression and suicide in the elderly has important implications for prevention and treatment. Pharmacotherapy and relapse prevention strategies should be made available to the elderly with alcohol use disorders." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Eastern State patients to get community help (Virginia)
Story in
The Virginian-Pilot - "Starting at midnight on Friday, people with mental illnesses who used to go to Eastern State Hospital for short-term care will be served in their own communities. Forty-three beds at Eastern State Hospitals acute care unit in Williamsburg will close, and patients who currently go there to be stabilized will now go to one of four hospitals, in Hampton, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth or on the Eastern Shore. The move is part of a plan proposed by Gov. Mark R. Warner to downsize five state psychiatric facilities and invest more money in community-based services. "
Policy improves patient safety (Canada) Winnipeg Sun story - "Psychiatric patients in Manitoba institutions are at a decreased risk of sexual assault due to a provincial policy unveiled last week, says a Manitoba Health official ... The policy, broken into three sections, includes mandates such as hiring enough staff, investigating gender-segregated units, and telling patients about unacceptable behaviour."
State granted $3.5 million to treat disorders (Alaska) Juneau Empire story - "Alaska has been awarded a $3.5 million federal grant to help the state provide treatment services for people with both substance abuse and mental health disorders. In October, the state Department of Health and Social Services received $1.1 million of the grant, which is to be paid out over five years. DHSS will receive $1.07 million the second year, $1.08 million the third year and $100,000 each of the last two years. The grant comes from the State Incentive Grant program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration."
Durham County gets taste of handling mental health services (North Carolina) Story in the
Herald-Sun - "The Durham County Commissioners got a taste Monday of how it will feel to run the county's mental health services once a state-mandated reform is complete. But a training session held to outline the county's new responsibilities left some commissioners wondering how the overhaul would play out in Durham and whether residents would be left without services. "
