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Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Future of Integrated Care for All
In a landmark move, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through CMS, announced on January 19, 2024 the Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Model. This initiative is a game-changer in healthcare, especially for underserved and marginalized communities where health disparities...
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Prenatal Cannabis Exposure Associated With Mental Disorders in Children That Persist Into Early Adolescence
Prenatal cannabis exposure following the middle of the first trimester – generally after five to six weeks of fetal development – is associated with attention, social, and behavioral problems that persist as the affected children progress into early adolescence (11 and 12 years of age),...
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The Impact of Housing on Mental Health Issues and Substance Misuse
In Maslow’s hierarchy, physiological needs – food, water, shelter – are the base upon which all other human activity rests. As a population, particularly in more privileged areas, we tend to take these needs for granted: a house or apartment, food and clean water, and clothing are readily...
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Consequences of Blissful Ignorance: Marijuana’s Health Risks
Marijuana use has increased recently as it gains the reputation for being a natural, risk-free drug. But it might not be as safe as you think. Marijuana does offer a variety of medicinal health benefits to those managing chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and...
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360 is More Than Just an Address, It’s a Model of Care for The Mental Health Association of Westchester
In 2022, preliminary data released by the CDC indicated that more than 100,000 people had died from drug overdoses (CDC). This total marks a new annual record in nationwide drug overdose deaths and is twice the size of 2015’s record, underscoring the alarming escalation of this crisis (NPR, Times...
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To Address Our National Mental Health Crisis, Primary Care Practices Should Embrace Value-Based Care
The COVID-19 pandemic left a lasting impact on our society and institutions, and few industries felt – and continue to feel – its effects more than healthcare. Among the many lingering issues, either driven or revealed by the pandemic, is the rising demand for behavioral health services – and...
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Simple Self-Care Methods to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Depression
Anxiety is generally characterized as feelings of tension, worried thoughts, increased blood pressure, sweating, trembling, dizziness, and a rapid heartbeat. Anxiety disorders include recurring intrusive thoughts and fears about unspecified threats. While some degree of anxiety is common, it’s...
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Consumer Perspectives: Food Security is a Social Justice Issue
This article is part of a quarterly series giving voice to the perspectives of individuals with lived experiences as they share their opinions on a particular topic. The authors are served by Services for the UnderServed (S:US), a New York City-based nonprofit that is committed to giving every New...
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Office of Mental Health Receives Grant to Expand Access to Fresh Healthy Produce to People with Mental Illness
The NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) has received a $200,000 award to help people with mental illness gain access to healthy, fresh produce. The grant, from the NYS Health Foundation, will be used to expand the FreshConnect Checks Program and bring mobile farmers’ markets to congregate housing...
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As Students Grapple with Leave of Absence Challenges, Manuals Aim to Offer a Better Way Forward
David Mink finished the spring semester of his freshman year at Macalester College in Minnesota with a 0.0 GPA, amid a process in which he would take a semester of classes, withdraw, and try again. “I just kept banging my head into the wall and felt like nothing was working,” Mink says....
