AAP Issue Supplement on Pediatric Mental Health Care

July 2010

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently published the issue supplement Enhancing Pediatric Mental Health Care: Report from the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Mental Health. The supplement was supported by the AAP, the AAP Friends of Children Fund, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

New Issue Brief on Maternal Depression

July 2010

The National Institute for Health Care Managment Foundation has released a new Issue Brief, Identifying & Treating Maternal Depression: Strategies & Considerations for Health Plans. This brief reviews the prevalence of maternal depression, health risks of untreated depression, and economic consequences of depression and its associated health complications.  Additionally, the brief provides recommendations and tools for health care providers to identify and treat maternal depression and shares opportunities for health plans to promote a comprehensive approach to early identification and treatment of maternal depression.

Special Issue on the Future of Homeless Services

July 2010

Guest-edited by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Homelessness Resource Center, a special issue of the Open Health Services and Policy Journal describes the services and supports needed to help individuals and families exit homelessness and maintain housing. It includes eight research, review, and commentary articles.

The Great Need for Behavioral Health Workforce Development [ June 17, 2010 2:00 PM ]

Access to mental health and addiction services is dependent upon the presence of a qualified workforce, but many communities across the United States face a severe shortage of behavioral health professionals. At the same time, the available workforce is not representative of the nation’s changing demographics or effectively able to respond to the increasing incidence of co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. On this Webinar, John Morris and Michael Hoge of The Annapolis Coalition discussed these issues, as well as the coalition’s Action Plan for Behavioral Health Workforce Development and specific opportunities for funders. In addition, Victor Capoccia of the Open Society Institute, and formerly of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJ), shared information on the behavioral health component of Jobs to Careers, an initiative funded by RWJ and the Hitachi Foundation that seeks to advance the career development of low-wage incumbent workers providing services on the frontlines of our health care systems. This initiative received the Council on Foundations 2010 Critical Impact Award.

Improving Cultural Competence to Reduce Behavioral Health Disparities [ February 25, 2010 2:00 PM ]

Evidence-based practices have been labeled the gold standard, but is this always the case?  Do these practices reduce racial and ethnic behavioral health disparities, or could they contribute to their continuation? On this webinar, Dr. Kenneth Martinez reviewed the strengths and limitations of using evidence-based behavioral health practices across cultures and explored some effective alternatives, including community-defined evidence.  Next, Rick Ybarra discussed the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health’s efforts to culturally adapt evidence-based practices for communities of color.

Integrated Care: Why and How [ September 22, 2009 2:00 PM ]

GIH Mental Health Audioconference Series

Integrated care systematically coordinates physical and behavioral health services to address individual needs more fully. On this call, Dr. Jürgen Unützer, professor of psychiatry at the University of Washington, provided an overview of the rationale for integrated care, the evidence base around integration practices, and the main barriers to integration (clinical, financial, policy). We also heard from Mary Jo Dike of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and Mary Rainwater of The California Endowment's Integrated Behavioral Health Project on their range of work surrounding integrated care.

Behavioral Health and Health Care Reform [ June 23, 2009 2:00 PM ]

As the Obama Administration and congressional leaders begin to outline their plan for health care reform, how are behavioral health advocates working to promote a reform package that meets the needs of persons with mental health and substance use disorders? This one-hour audioconference featured representatives from the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG) and the Campaign for Mental Health Reform. This discussion focused on efforts to engage policymakers and push for legislation that embraces and integrates behavioral health services in the broader context of health reform.

Rethinking Substance Use Disorders

Almost 1 in 10 individuals over age 12 has a problem with alcohol or drugs, making substance use disorders one of the most damaging and expensive health problems facing the United States today. Yet many of the specific issues surrounding substance use remain under the radar because of their controversial nature and the highly marginalized and vulnerable populations they often affect.

Schools as Entry Points for Children's Mental Health Services

Health grantmakers are in a strong position to support efforts to increase children’s access to mental health services by funding school-based services, building relationships between schools and service providers, disseminating information, and promoting policy change.

Filling a Gap in Care: The Need for Behavioral Health Integration

Primary care is often provided in isolation of behavioral health care, and vice versa. An integrated approach addresses this challenge by systematically coordinating physical and behavioral health services to more fully meet individual needs.

Behavioral Health and Public Policy

Behavioral health advocates ended a decade-long push for equity within private health insurance plans that cover mental health and addiction services with the passing of a new law that requires group health insurers to offer coverage for mental illness and substance use disorders on the same terms as physical illnesses.

Serving Our Veterans: Filling the Gaps in Military Mental Health

Stories of devastation on the evening news depict families struggling to cope with the health and mental health problems of their loved ones who have served in the military. For too many, help is not coming quickly enough. Nearly one-third of returning service members had signs of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), conflicts in relationships, and other mental health problems six months after leaving Iraq.

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