Friday, May 09, 2003

Exploring Healthcare Quality and Effectiveness at Federally-Funded Community Health Centers: Results from the Patient Experience Evaluation Report System (1993-2001)
Report from the National Association of Community Health Centers available at the Open Minds web site - "This report presents the results of a major evaluation of the performance of federally-supported Community Health Centers. The findings presented here show that health centers furnish care of high quality, as measured not only by clinical health quality measures but also from patient information regarding their health care experiences. The data from which these findings have been drawn come from two point- in- time performance evaluations that permit comparison over time. The results of these studies indicate sustained and improved clinical care quality and patient satisfaction levels over a decade, even as health centers have experienced a significant growth in the proportion of uninsured and vulnerable patients they serve."  
  

Mental Health Policy: Implications for Infants and Families
Newborn & Infant Nursing Reviews story at Medscape - "The mental health of mothers directly affects the health of newborns and children; however, this fact frequently receives little attention. This article explores the prevalence of critical mental health issues related to pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting; the failure of the health care delivery system to meet these needs; the state of mental health policy; and actions and interventions needed to improve care through policy development and nursing care." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

GAO Report on Child Placements Paints Bleak Picture of Systems
Mental Health Weekly article at Medscape - "A documented 12,700 children were placed in state child welfare systems or county juvenile justice systems in fiscal year 2001 for the sole reason that parents saw no other way to obtain needed mental health care for them, according to a report released last week by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO). What's perhaps most shocking about these numbers is that they probably vastly underestimate the practices, because governments do not routinely track youths placed in agency systems for this reason." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Advocacy in a diverse society
Article from the latest APA Monitor based on comments by panelists at the APA Practice Organization's State Leadership Conference in March - "In California, Hawaii and New Mexico, no single ethnic or racial group constitutes a majority of the population, according to the census of 2000. As America's demographics continue to change, that pattern is likely to spread to other parts of the country, bringing with it new challenges for health-care providers. To ensure that those challenges are met, state leaders need to take an active role in the legislative process, fighting for the inclusion of psychologists in health-related bills and supporting attempts to reduce health disparities among different segments of society..." Other stories related to the State Leadership Conference include Psychologists needed for treatment of serious mental illness, Health-care reform: A difficult road and Implementing the law ("Psychologists in three states work to implement--or oppose implementation of--new laws.")  
  

Child health costs similar for behavioral compared to physical disorders
Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia press release on findings presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in Seattle - "Children with behavioral disorders incur similar overall health care costs to children with physical disorders. Among behavioral disorders, costs were not uniform; anxiety and depression cost twice as much as other common behavioral disorders, mainly as a result of inpatient hospitalizations."  
  

Check Yourself
This "resource for teens who want to check where they are with drugs and alcohol" was created by Titan Digital (Baltimore) and includes "links to treatment resources, the opportunity to interact with other teens who have experienced their own 'moments of truth,' and a series of quizzes kids can take to assess the depth of their drug or alcohol problem." See also the related story at the NCADI web site.