Friday, November 15, 2002

Heroin Reaches the Well-to-Do Adolescent Population
Article in the Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter at Medscape - "The Caron Foundation, one of the nation's foremost rehabilitation centers, has witnessed a dramatic change in the demographics of its adolescent patients. Recently there has been an increased number of young heroin addicts entering Caron's adolescent treatment center. In 1995 patients admitted were almost exclusively male; now, female patients whose drug of choice is heroin outnumber males by two to one. In general, this new generation of heroin users is monied, suburban and young."  
  

NAMI: Perfect Storms Threaten Medicaid Mental Health Care Services
Article at the NAMI web site - "Several economic forces are in play that are likely to impact the financing and delivery of needed services for people with serious mental illnesses. At the core of this tension are deteriorating economic outlooks and declining revenue which have strained state budgets."  
  

MHMR wins $308,933 grant (Texas)
Herald Democrat story - "Mental Health Mental Retardation Services of Texas has been awarded $308,933 from the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board for telemedicine equipment and training....Computer sites will also be set up at various locations to allow consumers and family members to have interenet access for research related to mental illness and developmental disabilities. It will reduce travel costs for meetings and training that occur across the 3 county area and will allow more direct care time with clients. It will also allow more rapid and current oversight of client treatment and progress because licensed staff can meet them and review their progress via video conferencing. Clients and families will have access to the Internet to research issues and resources related to mental illness and mental retardation."  
  

Hospital faces still more complaints (Virginia)
Daily Press story - "State mental health officials are looking into two more complaints against Woodside Hospital, a Newport News treatment center for troubled teens that is already under state investigation."