Monday, February 17, 2003

Technological advances making life easier for people with physical and mental challenges
American Association for the Advancement of Science press release at EurekAlert - "Screen displays that deliver the written word to people who are sight-impaired, the latest ear implants for those who are deaf, and tools for individuals with mental challenges are on the cusp of a major technological revolution, paralleled by a growing aging population."  
  

VA Heart Attack Care For Mentally Ill Shows Little Disparity
Research Communications Services item at InteliHealth - "Unlike many private hospitals, Veterans Affairs medical centers do a good job of providing equal care for heart attack patients with a history of mental illness or substance abuse, according to a study in the February issue of Health Services Research. Previous research on mentally ill patients in non-VA health systems shows they receive poorer care than those with no mental illness and have higher rates of mortality for several conditions, including heart attacks."  
  

Cognitive Therapy For Schizophrenia: Hope For Those Whom Drugs Haven't Helped
American Association for the Advancement of Science press release at InteliHealth: - "In an about face, the British National Health Service recently adopted cognitive therapy as a valid and reimbursable treatment for schizophrenia, a disease of the mind that traditionally has been thought of as unresponsive to all but powerful drug therapies."  
  

Cruelest Choice Faces Parents of Mentally Ill
New York Times story on mothers and fathers who are being urged to "give up custody of their children and turn them over to New York State's child welfare agencies so that they can get the mental health care that they otherwise cannot afford or gain access to." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Magellan Subsidiary Avoids Seizure
Washington Post story - "Magellan Health Services ... struck an agreement last week with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance to lift a seizure order on Tennessee Behavioral Health, a Magellan subsidiary. Magellan reported in January that the state of Tennessee had obtained an order to seize the assets of Behavioral Health."  
  

Budget cuts aim at mental health care for children (Maine)
Portland Press Herald story - "Thousands of Maine's mentally disabled children would lose some mental health services under Gov. John Baldacci's proposed budget, outraging advocates who say the cuts go too far even in an era of tight budgets and fiscal restraint."