In February 2020, Utah’s state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn went to a legislative caucus to discuss a potential public health concern. “She came to tell us about something called Covid,” says Utah State Rep. Steve Eliason. “We were chatting before the caucus started, and I said, ‘You know, whatever happens
When Steve Miccio’s family took him to a hospital in Dutchess County, New York, he was experiencing his first manic episode. “I went in ‘Steve,’” he says, “and came out of inpatient hospitalization broken.” He points out there was no mention of hope or recovery. “It was more about what
Long before the Covid pandemic, which thrust students across the United States into virtual classrooms, the internet was an issue for rural and remote communities. At every National Association of Counties rural caucus Dr. Ron Manderscheid attended throughout the years, a county commissioner shared the same story. He’s executive director
In October, the Pew Charitable Trusts released an issue brief highlighting that most 911 call centers lack the resources to address mental health and substance use (“behavioral health”) crises. Then, several months ago, the public charity released a follow-up report looking into 911 call centers affiliated with the Safety and
There’s not much about Covid-19 that any country would consider favorable. However, for England, the pandemic resulted in the acceleration and expansion of mental healthcare services. Today, this means that in counties across the nation, communities have access to services that only two years ago were, at best, part of
Like many Indigenous boys in Australia, Joe Williams dreamt of becoming a rugby player. His father, Wilfred Williams, played in the National Rugby League. “I grew up watching him play on TV,” says Williams. “I wanted to do everything I could to do that too.” At night, he slept with
Alaska comprises diverse regions, not just geographically but also in terms of culture, access, and population. Dr. Xiomara Owens says some are small and have limited resources, financial and otherwise. In contrast, others have robust behavioral health systems flush with clinicians and chemical dependency and suicide prevention teams. “In smaller
In 2019, Ron Bruno, a retired Utah police officer and executive director at Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) International, told #CrisisTalk that “mental healthcare shouldn’t come in a police car.” More than two years later, he says the seemingly obvious statement remains controversial, especially in places that use law enforcement as
Nationwide, cities and counties are developing 911 call matrixes to triage behavioral health calls. Austin, Harris County, Los Angeles County, and Tucson are among them. Behavioral health and law enforcement experts in those communities say it has been vital for providing standardization and diverting the vast majority of mental health
As the United States heads deeper into its third year of the Covid pandemic, Whitney Bunts says the past 25 months have been especially tough on young people. They’ve navigated quarantine, isolation, loneliness, and a series of alleged returns to normalcy that weren’t. Young people have also had to maneuver
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