Tuesday, July 13, 2004
State experts get big fees to evaluate mental health (California)San Francisco Chronicle story - "Mental health experts on a state panel earn big fees for evaluating inmates and parolees for possible lockup at Atascadero State Hospital as sexually violent predators. The California Department of Mental Health spends about $5.9 million a year on these clinical evaluations as well as for expert testimony of its evaluators in court. Some psychologists and psychiatrists contracted by the state earn $300,000 a year or more from this work."
Desert Regional Center might be renovated for the mentally ill (California)KESQ story - "State mental health officials might refurbish a state facility to house mentally ill patients until a 190-bed state hospital can be built in Las Vegas.The proposal to use the Desert Regional Center came after officials declared a public health emergency -- saying mentally ill patients were clogging hospital emergency rooms. The state freed up 100-thousand dollars to temporarily house the mentally ill until Sunday at WestCare -- a nonprofit agency that specializes in substance abuse treatment..."
Mental-Health Service Says It Will Turn Away Patients (Utah)KSL-TV story - "The Bear River Mental Health Services will have to turn away 300 to 400 patients a year because of new Medicaid rules, said Dr. Mick Pattinson, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization. Until now, residents of Cache, Rich and Box Elder counties have been eligible to receive mental health treatment at BRMHS, because the state used Medicaid dollars to subsidize the cost of treating low-income, non-Medicaid mental health patients. Under rules that went into effect on July 1, Medicaid funds may be used only to pay for treatment of Medicaid cardholders..."
Coping with the stress of warMSNBC story - "...Why are so many soldiers returning from Iraq suffering from PTSD? Because more troops than in recent wars have seen heavy combat — a predictor, say experts, of how likely they are to suffer from PTSD. But the same Army study — the first ever to be conducted during a continuing conflict — found many solders are refusing available treatment, fearing it will jeopardize their military careers."
Short-Term Fix For Mental Health Crisis (Nevada)KLASTV story - "It's unclear what the next step will be as Clark County tries to figure out a long-term solution to a growing mental health crisis. The county issued a 'health care emergency' on Friday when over one-third of the Valley's total emergency rooms beds were occupied by mental health patients. Now, a short-term fix may be shorter than first thought. And a long-term solution is a long way away..." See also
State announces temporary housing plan (
Las Vegas Review-Journal).
Mental health services targeted (Pennsylvania)Story at
PittsburghLive - "In its first major announcement since merging last month, Westmoreland-Latrobe Health Partners Monday night announced a realignment of its mental health services at Westmoreland Regional Hospital in Greensburg and Latrobe Area Hospital. Starting this fall, children and adolescents in need of inpatient mental health treatment will be admitted to Latrobe Area Hospital while adults will be treated at Westmoreland Regional Hospital in Greensburg. Both hospitals will continue to have separate outpatient services. The newly merged Westmoreland, Latrobe Area and Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant held the first in a series of public forums to brief the public on the merger..."
