Increased Access to Culturally Competent Services through Clinical & Community Linkages

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) August issue of the Health Care Innovations Exchange featured Innovations describe two programs that increased access to culturally competent services through a comprehensive approach that included linkages:

America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2011

The Federal Interagency Forum on Child Health Statistics released America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2011. This annual statistical report addresses 41 indicators, many of which include risk and protective factors for suicide. Charts indicate suicide rates among children and adolescents by race, ethnicity and gender. The report also includes sections on adolescent depression, youth victims of serious violent crimes, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, illicit drug use, emotional and behavioral difficulties and health insurance coverage. Read the full report.

HIV Related Behavioral Health Prevention & Treatment Resources

A new website by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) lists a number of resources targeted specifically to the treatment and prevention of behavioral health and substance abuse in populations at high risk for HIV/AIDS. Resources include:

• Mental Health AIDS - A quarterly research update (with searchable archive) on the prevention, assessment, and treatment of HIV and mental/behavioral health, organized to support evidence-based clinical practice.
• National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) online registry of mental health and substance abuse interventions that have been reviewed and rated by independent reviewers. It includes HIV-related behavioral health prevention and treatment for use in local settings, with implementation/adaptation guidance.

SAMHSA is working to ensure that individuals who are at high risk for or have a mental and/or substance use disorder and who are most at risk for or are living with HIV/AIDS have access to and receive appropriate behavioral health services (including prevention and treatment), HIV/AIDS care and medical treatment through its many grant programs and technical assistance opportunities. Visit the website to access the resources.

Technology Aiding in Delivering Mental Health Services

The DoD (Department of Defense) has been on the forefront of delivering telehealth services to military servicemen and women. National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2) offered the first ever live Introduction to Telehealth at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. This workshop offered attendees guidance on how to provide mental health services from a distance. www.army.mil reports:

"'This allows us to provide things like telepsychiatric appointments especially in rural and high needs areas,' T2 clinical telehealth division chief Dr. Jamie Adler said.

 

The technology can be used in a variety of ways, from treating post-traumatic stress disorder and depression to wellness and resiliency interventions."

New Report Shows Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Differences among the States

A new report developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) presents state estimates for 25 measures of substance use or mental disorders based on 2008 and 2009 statistics and estimates of change from previous years' data. The report is based on the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), and provides data on illicit drug, alcohol and tobacco use, treatment need, and mental health factors. The report provides state-by-state analyses of a wide range of behavioral health issues, and reveals that despite some wide variations among the states in the types and levels of problems they confront— every state must deal with these issues. For example, among those aged 12 and older, Iowa had less than half the current illicit drug use rate of Alaska (5.3-percent versus 13.5-percent) yet Iowa also was among the top 10 states with the highest levels of people age 12 and older currently participating in binge drinking (28.6-percent). 

The report provides valuable insights to state public health authorities and service providers on the scope and nature of behavioral health issues affecting their states. The report is part of SAMHSA’s strategic initiative on data, outcomes, and quality—an effort to provide the best available information to everyone involved in the behavioral health field. "No state is free from the unique impact of mental and substance use disorders," SAMHSA Administrator Pamela Hyde said in a news release. "Data like these give states the information they can use to target their prevention and treatment activities for the greatest benefit to their residents."

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