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Integrating Health and Behavioral Health Services: A Personal Perspective on One Agency’s Experience
In 1984, at the very first senior staff meeting I attended when I arrived at The Bridge (the non-profit mental health and substance abuse rehabilitation agency in New York City) the spotlight was on client healthcare issues. Our then part-time psychiatrist had recruited a heroic primary care...
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Healthy Living: A Self-Management Toolkit Promoting Full Recovery
If you have ever tried to quit smoking or lose weight, you might recall the difficulty you had sticking to your goal. Add the challenge of managing a serious mental illness (SMI) and these health goals can become daunting. However, the pursuit of these goals has become central to addressing the...
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From the Publisher – Declining Physical Health: The Other Side of the Recovery Process
When I was struggling through my 10-year battle with depression, the most prevalent thing in the back of my mind each and every day was a silent prayer to recover and no longer suffer with the daily feelings of hopelessness and despair that were the hallmarks of my illness. Nothing else...
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Complete Care Integration: You Can Lead a Patient to the Doctor…
Every moment of a medical appointment is crucial to the wellbeing of an individual challenged by mental illness and treated with psychotropic medication. It is an opportunity to educate and intervene at the earliest possible stage, or to anticipate and alleviate issues that have already begun. For...
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Meeting the Medical Needs of People with Serious Mental Illness: Will New Initiatives Work?
On average, people with serious mental illness die at a much younger age than people without serious mental illness. Estimates range from about 10 to 25 years younger. They are also much more likely to have serious physical disorders including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease,...
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Mental Health News Interview with Jason A. Helgerson
Mental Health News is very pleased to present you with our recent interview with Jason A. Helgerson, Medicaid Director of New York State, and Executive Director of New York’s Medicaid Redesign Team. New York’s Medicaid program provides vital health care services to over 5 million New Yorkers...
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Riding the Wave of Health Care Reform
Addictions and risky use of addictive substances constitute one of the largest and most costly public health issues facing the nation, but addiction care has been vastly under-resourced and remains largely separate from mainstream medical and behavioral health care practice. Unrecognized and...
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New Housing Venture in Suffolk County
Federation of Organizations was awarded the contract to operate the Transition to Community Residence (TCR) Program in Suffolk County, an innovative program that recognizes the need to address the complex medical conditions of individuals who have been living in state operated settings and moving...
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Supreme Court Decision Benefits People with Mental Illness
It is good news for people with mental illness and their families that the Supreme Court has ruled that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is constitutional. The benefits would have been greater if the court had not made expansion of Medicaid eligibility optional for the states. But even if some states...
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The Family Clinical Nurse Specialist: Promoting Health in People with Mental Health Conditions
What is a Family Clinical Nurse Specialist (FCNS)? An FCNS is an advanced practice registered nurse, who has earned a master’s or doctorate degree. FCNSs are clinical experts in a specialized area of nursing practice. The FCNS has a unique role to integrate care across the continuum of three...
