Webhealth
Webhealth has been specifically developed to provide access for people to
connect with Health and Social Services. This web-based approach builds on
the strengths of people and families to determine their support needs. Within the Webhealth website is Linkage. Linkage is a
partnership between an NGO, Pathways; primary health care, Pinnacle; and a
secondary provider/hospital, Health Waikato. It offers early intervention
services with a “one stop shop” in central Hamilton and New Plymouth.
Friday, September 12, 2003
For Patients' Rights, a Quiet Fadeaway
Washington Post article called to our attention by the outstanding Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report - "... the crusade for patients' rights has faded from view -- both at the White House and in Congress. Apart from one sentence in his State of the Union address in January, Bush has not mentioned the topic all year. The father of the patients' rights movement in Congress, Rep. Charles Whitlow Norwood Jr. (R-Ga.), resurrected legislation in March so half-heartedly that he decided not to seek any co-sponsors. In the Senate, the issue's main champions have not even gone through the motions of filing a bill. It was two years ago that the drive to protect the nation's patients crested, when Bush and Norwood reached an agreement on the issue's most divisive aspect: how much recourse to give patients in the courts if their health plans deprive them of care. The House accepted the surprise deal, but more than a year of negotiations between the White House and the Senate quietly ended in an impasse..."
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Washington Post article called to our attention by the outstanding Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report - "... the crusade for patients' rights has faded from view -- both at the White House and in Congress. Apart from one sentence in his State of the Union address in January, Bush has not mentioned the topic all year. The father of the patients' rights movement in Congress, Rep. Charles Whitlow Norwood Jr. (R-Ga.), resurrected legislation in March so half-heartedly that he decided not to seek any co-sponsors. In the Senate, the issue's main champions have not even gone through the motions of filing a bill. It was two years ago that the drive to protect the nation's patients crested, when Bush and Norwood reached an agreement on the issue's most divisive aspect: how much recourse to give patients in the courts if their health plans deprive them of care. The House accepted the surprise deal, but more than a year of negotiations between the White House and the Senate quietly ended in an impasse..."
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Emory researchers find Paxil improves memory and brain structure in PTSD sufferers
Emory University Health Sciences Center press release - "Emory University researchers have found that paroxetine HCL (Paxil) produces measurable improvement in verbal memory and also increases the size of the hippocampus, a key area of the brain involved in learning and remembering, in persons suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Their study, which will be published in the Oct. 1 edition of Biological Psychiatry, also found that Paxil significantly reduces the three main symptom clusters of PTSD–re-experiencing the traumatic event; avoidance and emotional numbing related to experiences that recall the traumatic event; and hyperarousal at inappropriate times."
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Emory University Health Sciences Center press release - "Emory University researchers have found that paroxetine HCL (Paxil) produces measurable improvement in verbal memory and also increases the size of the hippocampus, a key area of the brain involved in learning and remembering, in persons suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Their study, which will be published in the Oct. 1 edition of Biological Psychiatry, also found that Paxil significantly reduces the three main symptom clusters of PTSD–re-experiencing the traumatic event; avoidance and emotional numbing related to experiences that recall the traumatic event; and hyperarousal at inappropriate times."
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Family Education Improves Mood Stability in Bipolar Patients
Reuters Health story at Medscape - "When the families of patients with bipolar disorder type I are involved in an intensive family-focused therapy program, patients on maintenance treatment have longer periods of sustained remission and less severe mood symptoms. Dr. David J. Miklowitz, of the University of Colorado, Boulder, and colleagues conducted a study in which 101 patients were recruited within 3 months of a manic, mixed, or depressed episode. Their findings are published in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
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Reuters Health story at Medscape - "When the families of patients with bipolar disorder type I are involved in an intensive family-focused therapy program, patients on maintenance treatment have longer periods of sustained remission and less severe mood symptoms. Dr. David J. Miklowitz, of the University of Colorado, Boulder, and colleagues conducted a study in which 101 patients were recruited within 3 months of a manic, mixed, or depressed episode. Their findings are published in the September issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].
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The Mental Health Commission Tackles Fragmented Services:An Interview With Michael Hogan
A section of the final report by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health highlighted at the NAMI web site - an interview with Mike Hogan, chair of the Commission, by Robert Cunningham, deputy editor of Health Affairs.
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A section of the final report by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health highlighted at the NAMI web site - an interview with Mike Hogan, chair of the Commission, by Robert Cunningham, deputy editor of Health Affairs.
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VA Overhaul May Limit Vets' Access to Care
ABC News story - "Senators on Thursday said they were worried that a major overhaul of the Veterans Affairs Department health care system would deprive some veterans of access to treatment. ... The top lawmakers on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, chairman Christopher Smith, R-N.J., and Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill., also wrote Alvarez recently saying one of their greatest concerns was whether the process adequately addressed such specialized VA programs as geriatrics, long-term care, mental health, substance abuse and homelessness."
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ABC News story - "Senators on Thursday said they were worried that a major overhaul of the Veterans Affairs Department health care system would deprive some veterans of access to treatment. ... The top lawmakers on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, chairman Christopher Smith, R-N.J., and Rep. Lane Evans, D-Ill., also wrote Alvarez recently saying one of their greatest concerns was whether the process adequately addressed such specialized VA programs as geriatrics, long-term care, mental health, substance abuse and homelessness."
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NAMI Applauds Governor Howard Dean on Mental Health Reform
NAMI press release at Yahoo - "NAMI, the Nation's Voice on Mental Illness, has praised the mental health reform agenda being announced today in New Hampshire by presidential candidate Howard Dean. NAMI National Executive Director Richard C. Birkel, Ph.D. issued the following statement: 'Governor Dean deserves America's thanks for his proposals to move the nation's mental health system forward, out of the shadow of too many broken promises and a sorry state of perpetual crisis. He has set down a marker for the 2004 presidential election. He has done so distinctly, early in the electoral process -- in a manner that is rare, if not unprecedented, for a presidential campaign. As the Nation's Voice on Mental Illness, NAMI is non-partisan. We do not endorse candidates. Mental illness is not a partisan issue. Mental disorders such as severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders affect Republican and Democratic families alike. One in four Americans will be affected by mental illness at some point in their lifetime. No one is immune.' " See also Mental Health Advocates' Statement on Dean Mental Health Agenda (Ascirbe Newswire) on the reaction of the Campaign for Mental Health Reform. [Editor's note - From time to time, readers will find links here to news stories and articles on proposals and positions put forth by various political candidates. The inclusion of such material is not intended to advocate for or against any particular candidates or views, and should not be understood as such, but rather as part of an effort to distribute information of interest to readers and to help contribute to the overall quality of discourse on issues related to mental health. - BD]
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NAMI press release at Yahoo - "NAMI, the Nation's Voice on Mental Illness, has praised the mental health reform agenda being announced today in New Hampshire by presidential candidate Howard Dean. NAMI National Executive Director Richard C. Birkel, Ph.D. issued the following statement: 'Governor Dean deserves America's thanks for his proposals to move the nation's mental health system forward, out of the shadow of too many broken promises and a sorry state of perpetual crisis. He has set down a marker for the 2004 presidential election. He has done so distinctly, early in the electoral process -- in a manner that is rare, if not unprecedented, for a presidential campaign. As the Nation's Voice on Mental Illness, NAMI is non-partisan. We do not endorse candidates. Mental illness is not a partisan issue. Mental disorders such as severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders affect Republican and Democratic families alike. One in four Americans will be affected by mental illness at some point in their lifetime. No one is immune.' " See also Mental Health Advocates' Statement on Dean Mental Health Agenda (Ascirbe Newswire) on the reaction of the Campaign for Mental Health Reform. [Editor's note - From time to time, readers will find links here to news stories and articles on proposals and positions put forth by various political candidates. The inclusion of such material is not intended to advocate for or against any particular candidates or views, and should not be understood as such, but rather as part of an effort to distribute information of interest to readers and to help contribute to the overall quality of discourse on issues related to mental health. - BD]
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Copyright 2003 © Bill Davis.
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