238 results found
Closing the "Gap" Between Competency and Commitment in Minnesota: Ideas from National Standards and Practices in Other States
January 9, 2018In Minnesota, a "gap" exists in the justice system for defendants with mental illness. Defendants in criminal cases are found incompetent to stand trial, yet do not meet the higher standard for civil commitment. Commitment is the only way to receive competency restoration treatment, so individuals who do not meet the standard are unable to resolve their criminal cases or to receive treatment. The Robina Institute conducted research see how other states address incompetency.
Women’s Health Is a Readiness Issue: Addressing Health Disparities in the U.S. Military
November 7, 2023Women make up 17.5% of the U.S. military and they perform vital roles; however, they are 28% more likely to leave the Armed Forces than their male counterparts. Given that it's critical to retain women in their valuable positions, the lack of comprehensive and inclusive healthcare across the military branches is both a readiness and retention issue.In an effort to improve retention of servicewomen by helping fix a significant root cause — worse health outcomes — HealthyWomen designed, implemented, and evaluated a health education program, Ready, Healthy & Able (RHA), to provide: 1) health education for servicewomen and service members assigned female at birth (AFAB) and 2) accredited medical education for military healthcare providers (HCPs). Phase one of the program comprised more than 75 pieces of educational content in multiple mediums for service members and 11 virtual continuing education (CE) modules, two in-person lectures, and one live-streamed webinar for military HCPs. Pre- and post-test survey data results showed an increase in knowledge and/or confidence among the majority of consumers of the RHA educational resources.
Building on CalAIM’s Housing Supports: Strengthening Medi-Cal for People Experiencing Homelessness
August 10, 2023California's Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, is undergoing an ambitious transformation known as CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal). A key focus of this transformation is removing barriers to care for populations who struggle to access services, including people experiencing homelessness. A critical goal of CalAIM is a more person-centered approach to publicly funded health care.This paper, from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, rests on a foundation of extensive research and examines the successes, challenges, and opportunities in providing person-centered care to people experiencing homelessness. In Part 1, the authors describe in detail how homelessness undermines a person's health. When people live outdoors or without reliable shelter, existing health issues are made worse, and people develop new ones. Californians experiencing homelessness die in large numbers from causes directly related to their lack of housing.The primary driver of homelessness is a lack of affordable housing. Part 2 describes opportunities in CalAIM, in the Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) initiative, and in the Home and Community-Based Services Spending Plan to fund housing support services that connect people to housing and help keep people stably housed. This section also includes explanations of CalAIM's Enhanced Care Management benefit and Community Supports, seven of which specifically focus on people experiencing homelessness.Despite the promise of CalAIM and related programs, CalAIM's impact has been limited to date. Part 3 describes the challenges providers and managed care plans face in implementing CalAIM and the provision of housing support services. Health care and social service providers offering services under CalAIM must navigate differing reimbursement rates — which may not be enough — and differing requirements set by each managed care plan, even among plans operating in the same county. Managed care plans may not know how best to identify and reach people experiencing homelessness, and to connect people to housing and housing support services. Meanwhile, people who are unhoused must still find and access the care and services they need by navigating complex systems of care and fragmented provider networks.
Parks After Dark Evaluation Brief, July 2023
July 31, 2023In this infographic brief, the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research provides information from their evaluation of the 2022 Parks After Dark (PAD) program in Los Angeles County. PAD is a Los Angeles County initiative led by the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), in partnership with other County departments and community-based organizations. PAD is implemented in Los Angeles County areas with high levels of violence, obesity, and economic hardship. Thirty-four DPR parks hosted PAD between June and August 2022, after a two-year halt in programming because of the COVID-19 pandemic. PAD was offered three nights a week for eight weeks, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings.
Health Care Provider Survey Findings: Addressing Food Insecurity Among Older Adults — Health Care Provider Beliefs, Practices, and Resources
July 20, 2023The Food Research & Action Center and AARP Foundation collaborated with Dr. Rachel Zimmer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Dr. Kimberly Montez, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and conducted a survey to learn more about current efforts and promising opportunities for doctors, nurses, and other health care providers to address food insecurity among their patients 50 years of age and older. This report summarizes the findings of the survey responses from 144 health care providers. It also provides recommendations to enhance efforts by health care providers to address food insecurity informed by the survey findings.
Equitable Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Care: An Urgent Need
July 18, 2023Due to the deepening mental health and substance use crisis in the U.S., there's an urgent need for equitable access to care that is timely, clinically effective, and adequately reimbursed by insurers. This need encompasses psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, other counselors, and treatment facilities as well as mental health and substance use care delivered by primary care providers.Multiple studies, including analyses of insurance claims and surveys of employers and providers, have demonstrated that in-network health insurance coverage for treatment of mental health and substance use conditions remains inadequate and not "on par" with access to in-network health insurance coverage for physical health treatment.This patient-experience survey conducted by NORC (Survey) explored key topics such as: 1) how often mental health or substance use care is needed but not received; 2) how difficult it is to find in-network providers accepting new patients; 3) how often and why patients use out-ofnetwork providers for mental health or substance use care versus physical health care; 4) how often patients feel that mental health or substance use care from PCPs and other physical health providers is insufficient; 5) how often services are denied; and more.
Donor Government Funding for HIV in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in 2022
July 13, 2023This report, Donor Government Funding for HIV in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in 2022, tracks funding levels of the donor governments that collectively provide the bulk of international assistance for AIDS through bilateral programs and contributions to multilateral organizations. The new report, produced as a partnership between KFF and UNAIDS, provides the latest data available on donor funding disbursements based on data provided by governments. It includes their bilateral assistance to low- and middle-income countries and contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as well as UNITAID.
Engaging the Arts to Build Vaccine Confidence
July 1, 2023The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on all aspects of life, including the arts and culture sector. However, artists and cultural organizations have also played a crucial role in the vaccination effort. Although vaccination is a key element in overcoming the pandemic, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation have become significant challenges to achieving high levels of vaccine uptake. In this report, we explore how arts and culture have been utilized to promote vaccine confidence, dispel myths and misinformation surrounding vaccines and support vaccination efforts in the United States.
Globally Connected, Locally Led.: 2022 Annual Report
July 1, 2023At Jhpiego, we have a saying: our work is global, but our heart is local. For 50 years, we have worked with partners around the world with a clear-eyed focus—to realize their vision of high-quality health care for the people they serve. Their priorities have been ours because we believe in their ability to know what works for their communities. Ours has been a journey of mutual discovery and understanding as together we identified the most appropriate way to build strong, effective health systems that improve the health of women, men, and families."Globally connected, locally committed" perfectly describes Jhpiego at this moment.Our teams now serve as supportive partners to 224 projects across 41 countries. Thatsupport, as envisioned by local leaders, may involve co-designing programs; providingoperational support in managing employees, finances, and systems; and sharinglearning to strengthen data systems, program monitoring, and governance.
The MassHealth Demonstration Extension 2022–2027: Building on Success, Focusing on Equity
June 27, 2023Massachusetts administers much of MassHealth through an 1115 Demonstration waiver, approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which it has extended several times since it was originally approved in 1995. On September 28, 2022, CMS approved Massachusetts' request for a five-year extension of its Demonstration, which is in effect from October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2027. While the latest approved Demonstration largely aims to continue and improve upon the programs and initiatives that were part of the previous Demonstration, an area of specific focus within this extension is advancing health equity within the MassHealth program. As part of this, MassHealth seeks to promote health equity by both building on current program elements and introducing new strategies such as investing in certain populations that experience persistent health disparities and creating incentives for ACOs and hospitals to measure and reduce health disparities.This report and accompanying infographic describe the approved MassHealth Demonstration extension, what it means for MassHealth coverage moving forward, and implications for members, providers, and Massachusetts.
Climate-Related Health Risks Among Workers: Who is at Increased Risk?
June 26, 2023Over the past few years, a plethora of research has linked climate change to adverse health outcomes around the world. People may be exposed to climate-related health risks through a variety of pathways, including through their work. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) note that disproportionate exposure to adverse climate change-related conditions can exacerbate existing health and safety issues among certain workers and could potentially cause new and unanticipated harms. Risk of climate-related health impacts varies across occupations, with many of the same underlying drivers of disparities in climate vulnerability overall reflected in the occupational sector.This analysis identifies occupations that are at increased risk of climate-related health impacts, examines the characteristics of workers in these jobs, and discusses the implications of these findings.
Problem Management Plus: An Evidence-Based Approach to Expanding Access to Community-Based Mental Health Supports
May 31, 2023Problem Management Plus (PM+) is a proven, scalable, and cost-effective low-intensity mental health intervention that can be delivered by trained non-clinical workers for people who are experiencing common mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression, or stressful life problems. PM+ fills a gap in the behavioral health services system by providing early intervention and potential prevention of more acute behavioral health service needs. As a model that relies on building the capacity and diversity of the behavioral health workforce, it holds promise for enhancing access to community-based mental health supports. This issue brief is designed to define and describe the PM+ intervention and its origins and identify preliminary considerations for implementing it in the United States.
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