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News & Announcements
BlackMentalHealthNet.com Helps Promote Mental Health in Black CommunityPosted: August 10, 2011
BlackMentalHealthNet.com (http://www.blackmentalhealthnet.com) is designed to empower the Black community by promoting mental health and providing a safe place to learn about mental illness, discuss mental health issues, connect with other individuals and families dealing with mental illness, and find treatment. The website is a place where users can find information regarding mental health issues from articles and videos, join a conversation or read about others’ experiences in forums, and use the links and referral sources to find resources for themselves, their family and members of their community. Often people and families struggling with mental illness have the additional burden of feeling alienated or not knowing where to go for professional help if they want it. This isolation can be even more common in the black community because of the high stigma around mental illness. BlackMentalHealthNet.com hopes to provide an online community where people can go for support and draw information from the collective wisdom of each other. Their provider directory, in its beginning stages currently, is a resource for those who are considering working with a mental health professional. Read more on the PR Newswire website. Acces the website BlackMentalHealthNet.com.
New Approach Launched to Reduce Tribal Alcohol and Substance Abuse ProblemsPosted: August 09, 2011
A new federal framework to assist American Indian and Alaska Native communities in achieving their goals in the prevention, intervention, and treatment of alcohol and substance abuse was announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar, and Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder. The framework, captured in a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by Secretary Sebelius, Secretary Salazar, and Attorney General Holder was published in the Federal Register today, and is called for in the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, which President Obama signed into law in July 2010.
The MOA describes how the Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse established in HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will coordinate tribal substance abuse programs across the federal government with a special emphasis on promoting programs geared toward reaching youth and offering alternatives to incarceration. “Alcoholism and addiction are among the most severe public health and safety problems facing American Indian and Alaska Native people,” said HHS Secretary Sebelius. “It doesn’t have to be this way. With help that is based in the rich Indian culture these conditions just like other heath conditions can be successfully prevented and treated.”
An interdepartmental coordinating council will guide the overall direction of the new federal effort to improve its work with tribal communities beginning with determining the scope of the problem -- identifying and assessing national, state, tribal, and local alcohol and substance abuse programs and resources; and creating standards for programs. Read more on the SAMHSA website.
Talking About Suicide & Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender (LGBT) PopulationsPosted: August 08, 2011
There has been signifcant news coverage of several recent suicide completions by youth that are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). These highly publicized events have raised awareness about suicide risk among the LGBT population, but some of the coverage has "oversimplified or sensationalized a number of the underlying issues, and in some cases may have created the potential for suicide contagion risk" accroding to a new resource from a partnership between the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation [GLAAD], the Movement Advancement Project [MAP], and others.
Talking About Suicide & LGBT Populations provides detailed recommendations for more safely discussing suicide in public conversations and social media, while at the same time expanding public conversations about the well-being of LGBT people, promoting the need for family support and acceptance, and encouraging help-seeking by LGBT people who may be contemplating suicide. http://www.lgbtmap.org/
Increased Access to Culturally Competent Services through Clinical & Community LinkagesPosted: August 08, 2011
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:
A long-term goal of AHRQ is to foster linkages between clinical practices and community organizations to enhance the delivery of preventive services. By increasing access to health care and community services, these linkages can improve health outcomes and reduce disparities. Read more about the AHRQ Linking Clinical Practices and Community Organizations for Prevention initiative. Learn how to submit an Innovation on Clinical-Community Linkages.
America’s Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2011Posted: August 06, 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. |
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