A New Approach to Managing Mental Health Crisis Care in the Home
Intensive Home Treatment in the Netherlands reduces coercive hospital admissions and has health system and economic benefits.
Reengineering LA County’s Crisis Systems
Good intentions alone won’t solve systemic issues. John Franklin Sierra, a health systems engineer, gives the play-by-play on how LA County redesigned and reengineered its crisis system.
Why Partnering With 911 and First Responders Is Crucial to the Success of 988
For 988 to work, first responders must be able to easily and rapidly connect people to care.
988 Will Benefit From Tech Innovations Jump Started by Pandemic
Whether they wanted it or not, the Covid pandemic and corresponding physical distancing requirements thrust behavioral healthcare providers into telehealth. Some providers celebrated the sudden regulatory and policy changes that removed service delivery barriers. Others, says Kristin Neylon, senior project associate at NRI, were far more skeptical. “They were wary
Kathy Kliebert on How Disasters Can Be a Catalyst For Change
The Bridge Center for Hope opened its doors in February 2021, and it's already making an impact. Kathy Kliebert, former secretary of health and former assistant secretary of behavioral health for Louisiana, says that the journey to develop the Bridge Center for Hope started in 2005 with the devastation of
Austin’s 911 Call Center Integrates Mental Health Call Crisis Diversion
In Austin, when a person dials 911, the call taker asks, “Are you calling for police, fire, EMS, or mental health services?” Adding mental health as an option is groundbreaking and part of the city’s crisis call diversion initiative where clinicians are co-located on the 911 call center’s operations floor.
Mental Health Crisis Care Must Not Be a Blue Light Issue
Sue Murray sits down with Dr. Karen Newbigging from the University of Birmingham in the U.K. to discuss whether the mental health workforce is prepared to meet the current and long-term spike in demand.
How Voice Analysis Technology Can Track the Psychological Impact of Covid
Shinichi Tokuno has developed a smartphone health app that analyzes vocal cord vibration. He's using it to track the Covid pandemic's social impact.
Dr. Robert Roca on How Older Adults Are Faring During the Pandemic
From the onset of the pandemic, Dr. Roca notes there’s been a tension between avoiding contagion and the need to mitigate the toxicity of isolation. His patients frequently share two common concerns: fear of the virus and distress from separation from family and friends. Many Americans, especially older adults, he
Victor Armstrong on Race, Mental Health, and How Removing Police Alone Is Not the Answer
When in a psychiatric crisis, who a person of color encounters matters, says Victor Armstrong. He hopes change is on the horizon with 988 but notes it must coincide with advancing crisis care. Otherwise, telling people not to call 911 without an adequate solution leaves people in crisis and their