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New data published in the Journal of Correctional Healthcare suggest a steadily increasing need for behavioral health services in jail settings and a growing presence of psychotropic medication treatments in response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most adults see K‐12 schools as an important resource for mental health support for students, but fewer believe that school personnel have all the necessary training to be of maximum help, results of a newly released opinion poll suggest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An effort modeled after the Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) that law enforcement officers receive is equipping other criminal justice system professionals in Collier County, Florida, with knowledge to improve their interactions with individuals who have serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) takes a deep dive into the factors associated with racial disparities in mental health care, citing issues such as stigma and problems finding providers of similar backgrounds as major contributors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Momentum to break down the historical barriers that have impeded mental health treatment access in the Latinx population is coming from a committed group of young people with rich lived experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When leaders of a charitable foundation asked the presidents of 13 liberal arts colleges to identify an area of common need for funding, there was little hesitation in the response. "Very quickly all of the presidents agreed that mental health was the largest challenge facing these institutions," Lori Collins‐Hall, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, told MHW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly announced round of state grant funding will allow some mental health providers in Connecticut to complete much‐needed capital improvements, at a time when these providers also would like to see a boost in state support to meet everyday service‐related needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observing Georgia's leadership in pioneering the certified peer specialist movement and its role in paving the way for Medicaid reimbursement for peer support services, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) has released a new documentary that highlights the journeys of peer specialists in the state and their impact on recovery and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This month's announcement of a $2.5 million federal investment to develop multistate health provider licensure compacts signals a continued and significant push to embrace telehealth as a key vehicle for easing the workforce shortage in mental health and other health disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the two years since the implementation of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, more than 10 million texts, calls and chats followed, according to U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) leaders who marked the event with a press call on July 16. The Biden‐Harris administration, they said, provided more than $1.5 billion in total investment for the crisis line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A New York City‐based outpatient mental health treatment provider that opened for business in January is establishing a care model that seeks to integrate new clinical approaches with the tried‐and‐true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This month's convening of child‐serving agency officials from nine states offered a rare opportunity for policy leaders in mental health, child welfare and Medicaid to strategize together toward system improvement. Attendees of the Children's Behavioral Health State Policy Lab reported that while the nine state teams identified some immediate steps that they can take to improve service coordination, the most impactful actions to improve child outcomes would likely take shape over a much longer period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past several years, the perception of the role of an election official or poll worker has transitioned from a noble form of civic expression to a highly politicized position that could place the individual at personal risk. With the nation's politically charged atmosphere around elections unlikely to calm anytime soon, The Carter Center is renewing attention to its resource guide for the mental well‐being of election officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaders of an expanding mental health support program for refugee and migrant populations in Georgia said they learned a powerful lesson about client needs during the initiative's pilot implementation. They had assumed clients would mainly want to talk through the trauma they had experienced in their home countries, but they learned instead that these individuals' stressors weren't much different from all of ours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) last week charged the founder and CEO of a California‐based digital health company and its clinical president for allegedly participating in a fraud scheme involving medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The move has prompted an official Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health advisory warning of disrupted access to care among individuals taking prescription stimulant medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observing the need to identify a set of evidence‐based, evidence‐informed and promising practices to address maternal mental health care, a first‐ever national strategy released last week by a federal task force is calling for a seamless integration of perinatal mental health and substance use care across medical, community and social systems that increases equity and access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi‐year effort by the New York state behavioral healthcare com‐munity to achieve parity between Medicaid and commercial health insurance has finally come to fruition as indicated in the state's final budget, allowing New Yorkers to access mental health and addiction care in their local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing (National Council) hosted its annual conference, NATCON 24, with nearly 6,000 mental health and addiction treatment providers, CEOs, clinicians, advocates, health care professionals and others in what is considered the largest mental health and substance use conference in the country, on April 15‐17 in St. Louis, Missouri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A New York‐based organization, considered a global leader in professional education and training for psychedelic therapy research, is collaborating with a biotechnology company to develop an FDA‐approved botanical psilocybin pharmaceutical candidate to support an upcoming randomized clinical trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groups of teenagers in Worcester, Massachusetts, are being immersed in a program that exposes them to what a career in mental health practice would look like. Leaders of the initiative said that heightened awareness about mental illness will benefit participating youths even if they decide not to forge a career path in mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fulfilling gaps in mental health service delivery and care, while collaborating with state, payer and stakeholders, are at the heart of a Minneapolis‐based organization's mission to understanding what its community needs and wants and offering creative solutions to address those needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A contribution of more than $1 billion by Massachusetts' nonprofit hospitals and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) in 'Community Benefits' expenditures illustrates the progress that mental health and other health care providers are making in addressing social determinants of health in their communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of telehealth indisputably preserved access to mental health care for many individuals during the COVID‐19 pandemic, but the impact that telehealth has had on cost has remained less clear. A new analysis released by KFF (formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation) suggests that private insurance payment rates for telehealth services in mental health continue to be similar to rates for in‐person treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating new, psychologically safe opportunities for Black men and boys to normalize seeking out mental health care when they need it is the objective behind a new initiative announced Feb. 15 that supports their mental health — at a time when suicide rates for Black males aged 10 to 19 have risen faster than any other racial group in the past two decades, according to the American Psychiatric Association Foundation (APAF). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With California voters just over a week away from deciding on a ballot measure that would represent a major transformation of the state's mental health service delivery system, a striking number of mental health advocates remain either lukewarm about the proposal or bitterly opposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Declaring that "seeking help is an act of bravery," both the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Ad Council are continuing their ongoing partnership to help veterans who are struggling. In observance of September as Suicide Prevention Month, both organizations have launched new public service advertisements (PSAs) for their national campaign, "Don't Wait. Reach Out." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Judicial officials across New Mexico are hoping that four small pilot diversion programs can provide a useful model for ensuring people with mental illness are enrolled in treatment through county courts, the Santa Fe New Mexican, reported on Aug. 16. Fourth Judicial District Judge Michael Aragon said in an interview that the pilot program aims to cut recidivism and direct people to behavioral health treatment. Instead of merely dismissing misdemeanor cases for people who are not deemed competent to stand trial — a practice that can lead to a cycle of "catch and release," but no treatment of a person's mental illness — the new model will send some people into a diversion program in which a full‐time "forensic peer navigator" is assigned to help connect them with treatment providers for three to six months before the case is dismissed, according to a fact sheet from the state's Administrative Office of the Courts. The launch of the pilot program in San Miguel County comes weeks after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham convened a special legislative session on public safety, initially aimed in part at better addressing the mental health competency of people accused in criminal cases, as well as making it easier to mandate treatment for some people outside of the court system with psychiatric conditions. Gov. Grisham withdrew her mental health competency measure before the start of the session, however, after lawmakers raised concerns about rushing big changes to a complicated system. The session ended just hours after it started, with the legislature approving just one bill. The so‐called feed bill, providing funds to hold the session, included $3 million to fund assisted outpatient treatment programs and competency diversion pilot programs for people with mental health issues. The governor signed it into law in late July. In San Miguel County, the pilot will begin with two full‐time forensic peer navigators, who will serve a total of 12 participants. The program is funded through June 2025, and Aragon said he hopes it can be expanded to include between 25 and 30 people by that time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the weeks following the second anniversary of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline on July 22 (see "988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline a work in progress during two‐year anniversary," MHW, July 23; https://doi.org/10.1002/mhw.34114), Vibrant Emotional Health — the administrator of the 988 Lifeline — on July 31 announced the appointment of Cara McNulty, DPA, as its new CEO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cigna Group Foundation last week announced the launch of a $9 million grant program for nonprofit groups that work with military veterans and approach housing stability as the initial focus of an effort to improve veteran mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observing a mission to support organizations that provide young people who have mental health needs with tools and resources to impact their well‐being, Macy's, Inc. continues to move forward with its partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and The Jed Foundation. Commencing in 2022, this collaboration has raised $3.3 million to date to support young people with mental health resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently released data from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine revealed that nearly 20% of suicides in Illinois between 2020 and 2021 occurred among people aged 65 years or older. The trend is consistent with the data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) newly released National Violent Death Reporting System's Surveillance Summary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among adults aged 18 or older in 2023, 22.8% (or 58.7 million people) had any mental illness (AMI) in the past year, according to one of the key findings from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This report, released July 31, highlights estimates of substance use, mental health, and treatment in the United States in 2023. These national indicators are measured among people aged 12 or older in the civilian, noninstitutionalized population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health disparities that were already present for racial/ethnic minorities prior to the COVID‐19 pandemic only worsened during the public health crisis, suggests a newly published analysis of data from a Los Angeles County survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At least 67% of Americans said they are aware of 988, which means they've at least heard of it, according to a new poll released by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on the eve of the second anniversary of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Only 23% said they are at least somewhat familiar with 988. The poll is just one of two new resources, including a legislative brief, that highlight crucial steps policymakers should take to help people struggling with a mental health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new poll released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) that examined the benefits of exercise and sports, reveals that the majority of respondents (57%) indicate that they participate in sports and that nearly all of them (84%) said that it benefits their mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., issued a second general advisory last month — the first regarding the social media harms for youth — and this time, he addressed exposure to firearm violence for both children and adults giving rise to a cycle of trauma and fear within the nation's communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Nation‐leading" legislation to combat addictive social media feeds and protect kids online was signed into law on June 20 by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, making the state the first in the nation to establish these types of protections to safeguard children on social media, especially given the youth mental health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing behavioral health needs of children in Connecticut coupled with a significant shortage of behavioral health care staff are the impetuses behind a new strategic plan developed to guide the state in building a sustainable workforce that would serve the needs of children, youth and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Los Angeles County, where public policies are often seen as a national barometer based on its status as the country's largest county government, is engaged in an ambitious effort to address social needs within its integrated behavioral health and primary care service model. Leaders of the initiative hope to demonstrate that the primary care clinic serves as the ideal setting for achieving the results they seek. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaders of national medical and mental health organizations publicly joined together last week in observance of National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11, to end conversion therapy — calling such efforts "unscientific" and "ineffective" — and to affirm LGBTQ+ health care. The pioneering partnership is working to escalate awareness about how harmful conversion efforts are to a national level, organizers stated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating work environments that give staff members a sense of belonging and fulfillment proves critical to organizations' success in the face of a behavioral health workforce shortage, a human services leader said this month during a National Council for Mental Wellbeing webinar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A federal judge has given New Hampshire officials exactly one year to end the state's long‐standing practice of boarding individuals who are in mental health crisis in hospital emergency rooms while waiting for an appropriate placement. But an announcement from the state just two days after last month's judicial order appears to set out a more extended timetable for mental health service expansions that would end the need for boarding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent release of the U.S. Surgeon General's advisory on the use of social media and its impact on the mental health of youth and adolescents has raised much discussion, and no doubt garnered much reaction and concern, particularly given the current youth mental health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Editor's note: In each issue of MHW during Mental Health Awareness Month, we will feature an innovative initiative in mental health advocacy/promotion.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(Editor's note: In each issue of MHW during Mental Health Awareness Month, we will feature an innovative initiative in mental health advocacy/promotion.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A project that originated from a Duke University undergraduate's honors thesis created a media stir last month over the lack of controls on the sale and use of individuals' sensitive mental health information. As of late February, around 60 media outlets had cited Joanne Kim's research findings, which were based on her direct contact with 10 data brokers that collect consumers' personal information and share it with, or sell it to, other entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]