Thursday, October 28, 2004

Patients With Mental Disorders May Have Increased Cancer Risk
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "Patients with mental disorders may develop cancer at a younger age and may be at increased risk of certain malignancies, according to a report in the September/October issue of Psychosomatic Medicine. In a retrospective cohort study using administrative claims data, Dr. Caroline P. Carney, of Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, and colleagues examined the relationship between insurance claims for mental disorders and risk of cancer..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

When A Person with Mental Illness is Arrested: How to Help
A new handbook (in Adobe Acrobat format) bublished by NAMI New York State in a joint project with the Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project. See the related page at the NAMI web site - " In this handbook you will find general advice as to what procedures to follow when a person with mental illness is arrested. This handbook covers information that will answer questions such what to do, how to find a person who has been arrested, working with a defense attorney, practical tips on dealing with defense attorneys, laws relating to people with mental illness, advocating for a defendant to be sentenced to treatment, advocating for discharge planning, advocating for someone on probation or parole, clearing up a warrant, and so much more...:  
  

Trends in Health Insurance Coverage and Access Among Black, Latino and White Americans, 2001-2003
A "Tracking Report" from the Center for Studying Health System Change - " Overall health insurance rates changed little among nonelderly black, Latino and white Americans between 2001 and 2003, according to new findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). But sources of coverage shifted—especially for Latinos—from employment-based insurance to public coverage, suggesting the economic downturn took a greater toll on Latinos. Low-income Latinos and whites were particularly hard hit by declines in employer coverage. Shifting sources of coverage had little effect on access to medical care. With the sole exception of decreased access to specialists among blacks, access to care did not change between 2001 and 2003. Significant gaps in access to care among Latinos, blacks and whites persisted, with Latinos and blacks consistently reporting lower levels of access than whites."  
  

Medical journal to be available online
Seattle Post Intelligencer story - "A new online medical journal will make its research articles available to the public free of charge and accessible through the Internet. The Public Library of Science Medicine (PLoS Medicine) was launched earlier this month and will be available to physicians, patients, scientists and anyone with Internet access. ... Readers will be able to copy and distribute the articles for teaching or personal purposes and thereby further expand the reach of the research. The directors hope that people in poor countries or scientists at small research colleges will be able to benefit from medical research that otherwise would be unavailable without an expensive subscription." See also the PLoS Medicine web site.  
  

Gov. Johanns Announces Unprecedented Health Link, Unveils Statewide Telehealth Network (Nebraska)
Southwest Nebraska News story - "Gov. Mike Johanns today announced that Nebraska now has the ability to connect state health officials with more than 40 hospitals throughout Nebraska for interactive videoconferencing that can be used in responding to an emergency and to allow citizens across the state to access health specialists without having to leave their home towns. ... Robert Driewer, President of the NHA and CEO of Faith Regional Hospital in Norfolk, said, 'This network will give the smallest and most remote of our hospitals the opportunity to tap into medical personnel and information available anywhere in the state. This network has the potential not only to enhance patient care, but to help us address the nursing shortage, provide continuing education for rural doctors, and extend the reach of mental health practitioners into areas of the state without such services.'"  
  

HHS Awards 21 Grants Totaling $230 Million for Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grants
HHS press release - "HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 21 grants totaling $230 million over five years to implement the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grants to advance community- based programs for substance abuse prevention, mental health promotion and mental illness prevention. HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will administer the grants. The funds will be used to implement a five-step process known to promote youth development, reduce risk-taking behaviors, build on assets, and prevent problem behaviors. The five steps are: (1) conduct needs assessments; (2) build state and local capacity; (3) develop a comprehensive strategic plan; (4) implement evidence-based prevention policies, programs and practices; and (5) monitor and evaluate program effectiveness, sustaining what has worked well."  
  

County, state pact boosts kids' mental health care (Arizona)
Story in the Tucson Citizen - "Southern Arizona mental health service providers have signed a pact with state and county officials serving troubled children and adolescents to work together under new guidelines. The new 'Child and Family Team' system is aimed at getting low-income youngsters the care they need in a way that is sensitive to their cultural background and that involves family and existing community supports. The signing earlier this month stems from a 2001 class-action lawsuit filed against the state, accusing it of providing substandard mental health services to mentally disabled poor children."  
  

Medi-Cal rules shake up county mental health (California)
Napa News story - "Clients of a county-operated out-patient mental health program will have to wait a bit longer before they learn what services will be available for them by the start of next year. One thing is for sure: Community House will definitely be closed, Jim Featherstone, acting director of the county's Health and Human Services Department told county supervisors Tuesday. He blamed the program's demise on stringent new requirements by Medi-Cal, which funds the lion's share of the program."  
  

Prison mental health changes recommended (Iowa)
Des Moines Register story - "Iowa's prison employees should be better trained to handle mentally ill inmates, and psychologists or psychiatrists should be available for emergencies around the clock, a state report on prisoner suicides says. The report, released Wednesday, examines the deaths of three inmates and the gruesome, self-inflicted injuries to a fourth. It was written by a task force led by State Ombudsman William Angrick II, who took on the task last year at the request of Gov. Tom Vilsack..."