Category: mental health

A $30 Million Gift to Build an Addiction Treatment Center. Then Staffers Had to Run It.

Howard Buffett, son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett and chairman of his own charitable foundation, gave $30 million to build an addiction treatment center in the central Illinois community where he farms. But the money was a one-time gift for infrastructure, so the clinic is on its own to keep it running.

Early in the Pandemic, Private Insurers Paid Similarly for Common Telehealth and In-Person Claims

This analysis of 2020 claims data finds that as telehealth use surged as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the shift toward virtual physician and mental health care did not materially affect how much insurers paid for each patient encounter.

Behavioral Telehealth Loses Momentum Without a Regulatory Boost

As flexible treatment options spurred by the covid pandemic wane, patients relying on medications classified as controlled substances worry that without action to extend the loosened rules, it’ll be harder to get their meds.

In PA County Jails, Guards Use Pepper Spray and Stun Guns to Subdue People in Mental Crisis

An investigation of records from 25 county jails across Pennsylvania showed that nearly 1 in 3 “use of force” incidents by guards involved a confined person who was having a psychiatric crisis or who had a known mental illness.

California Senate’s New Health Chair to Prioritize Mental Health and Homelessness

California state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman of Stockton has been appointed chair of the Senate’s influential health committee. A licensed social worker, Eggman said she will make mental health care and homelessness front-burner issues.

Lost Sleep and Jangled Nerves: The Rising Onslaught of Noise Harms Mind and Body

Noise pollution is a growing problem that isn’t confined to the ears: It can cause harm throughout the body. California is taking baby steps to address the increasing din from traffic and illegally modified cars, but public health experts urge lawmakers to act more boldly.

Weighing Risks of a Major Surgery: 7 Questions Older Americans Should Ask Their Surgeon

How do older adults know when the potential benefits from surgery are worth the risks? And what questions should they ask as they try to figure this out? Our columnist asks experts for guidance.

Colorado Considers Changing Its Red Flag Law After Mass Shooting at Nightclub

In El Paso County, where five people were killed in a mass shooting at a nightclub in November, officials have filed relatively few emergency petitions to temporarily remove a person’s guns, with scant approvals.

Survivors of Gangs and Gun Violence, These Women Now Help Others Navigate Grief

As teens, these three women lived amid street gangs around East St Louis, Illinois. Now, as adults, they support the families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. And because of their past, some residents trust them more than they do the police.

KFF Health Tracking Poll December 2022: The Public’s Health Care Priorities For The New Congress

This survey looks at the public’s health care priorities for the new Congress, including price transparency, mental health, abortion, Medicaid, and health costs. It also looks at the public’s views of the main health provisions in the Inflation Reducti…