Category: mental health

Finding Connections And Comfort At The Local Cafe

For Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers, social and emotional isolation is a threat. But hundreds of “Memory Cafes” around the country offer them a chance to be with others who understand, and to receive social and cognitive stimulation in the process.

A Guide To Following The Health Debate In The 2020 Elections

As the Democratic primary campaign nears pivotal voting, important aspects of health care policy are being overlooked.

Family Doctors In Rural America Tackle Crisis Of Addiction And Pain

For rural physicians, the burden of responding to the opioid epidemic falls squarely on their already loaded shoulders. For one doctor in a small Wisconsin village, there was no question that she wanted to rise to the challenge.

Reduce Health Costs By Nurturing The Sickest? A Much-Touted Idea Disappoints

Nearly a decade ago, Dr. Jeffrey Brenner and his Camden Coalition appeared to have an answer to remake American health care: Treat the sickest and most expensive patients. But a rigorous study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows the approach doesn’t save money. “We built a brilliant intervention to navigate people to nowhere,” Brenner tells the “Tradeoffs” podcast.

5 Things To Know As California Starts Screening Children For Toxic Stress

California now will pay pediatricians to screen Medi-Cal patients for traumatic events known as adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. The program is based on research showing that children who endure chronic stress have an increased risk of developing serious health problems. Here are five things to know about the new program.

Watch: Behind The Troubling Rise Of Uninsured American Kids

Kaiser Health News senior correspondent Sarah Varney and PBS NewsHour producer Jason Kane report from Tennessee, where the rate of uninsured kids has soared.

Extending ‘Healthspan’: Brain Scientists Tap Into The Secrets Of Living Well Longer

New thinking about aging spins on how to stay free of chronic illnesses and cognitive decline later in life.

California Attempts To Revive Compassionate Cannabis Programs

After the state legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, new taxes and regulations decimated an ad hoc network that had donated cannabis for medical purposes to patients who could not afford it. A recent law seeks to revive the network, but hurdles remain.

Despite Quick Fixes, Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Care Still Lags

Interviews with dozens of Kaiser Permanente therapists, patients and industry experts reveal superficial changes that look good on paper but do not translate into more effective and accessible care.

San Francisco Hopes To Improve Care For People With Mental Illness Living On Streets

Dr. Anton Nigusse Bland, a veteran of public health psychiatry, was appointed by San Francisco’s mayor earlier this year to a newly created job: director of mental health reform. His main task is to improve mental health and addiction treatment for people experiencing homelessness.