Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Suicide Prevention and the Internet New alert (in
Adobe Acrobat format) from the Centre for Suicide Prevention, a program of the Canadian Mental Health Association - "In the last decade, the Internet has experienced a phenomenal growth as technology costs continue to fall and more and more people have mainstream access to the network. Statistics show that the Internet represents an increasingly important medium, especially among adolescents and young adults who use it as a source of information and communication. A recent study by Statistics Canada (2001) showed that 90% of 15-19 year old teenagers had used the Internet in 2000, compared to 53% for the overall population. Since the younger age group is characterized by high suicide rates, it would be wise for the suicide prevention community to capitalize on new Internet-based prevention opportunities while anticipating potential new challenges."
Housing Update, Action Needed: Deep Cut Sought for HUD 811 Program, New Housing Production Proposed for Elimination A NAMI alert - "As was reported in a NAMI E-News Alert last month, the Bush Administration’s FY 2006 seeks to cut funding for a key housing resource for people with severe mental illnesses and their families by 50% and completely eliminate funding for production of new units of supportive housing. NAMI is currently working with colleague disability organizations to oppose this unprecedented assault on a critical source of permanent supportive housing for non-elderly adults with severe disabilities. NAMI advocates are strongly encouraged to send a letter to both their U.S. Senators and their House member urging them to reject this proposal..."
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy May Be Helpful in the Primary Care Setting for Panic Disorder A new CME unit at
Medscape - "In the primary care setting, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with pharmacotherapy is better than usual care for the treatment of panic disorder, according to the results of a randomized study published in the March issue of the
Archives of General Psychiatry." [Viewing
Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
Navigating Medicare and Medicaid: Resource Guides for People with Disabilities, Their Families, and Their Advocates Page at the Kaiser Family Foundation web site with links to two new resource guides - "These guides explain the critical role Medicare and Medicaid have come to play in the lives and the futures of roughly 20 million children, adults, and seniors with disabilities - and give people with disabilities new information to help them get the most from these programs." The two guides,
Navigating Medicare and Medicaid, 2005 and
Keeping Medicare and Medicaid When You Work, 2005 are available in
Adobe Acrobat format.
Feds hit on mental health help for kids AP story at
AZCentral.com - "Critical mental health services for children are threatened because the federal government misinterprets Medicaid law, one Democrat and one Republican said Tuesday. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said state Medicaid programs were audited on the premise that the federal government is not permitted to fund the medical care of children in mental institutions. As a result, California, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Virginia have been asked to repay more than $10 million, the lawmakers said. 'Because the loss of these funds could threaten the viability of institutions that provide critical mental health services, these audits are a direct threat to the health of needy children,' the pair said in a letter to Mark McClellan, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Dan Levinson, the acting inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services."
