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The Peer Advocate: Role Model, Listener, and Problem Solver for Older Adults
Peer Advocates have changed the way that we practice behavioral healthcare at Service Program for Older People (SPOP) – and have changed the lives of the older adults we treat. SPOP is a community-based behavioral health provider for older adults (55+) based in New York City. We serve...
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Meeting Crisis With Connection: The Power of Peer Specialists on Mobile Crisis Teams
Over the past several years, New York City has increasingly shifted toward community-based responses to behavioral health crises. In the past, individuals experiencing psychiatric emergencies were often limited to hospital emergency departments or interactions with law enforcement. While those...
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Workforce Solutions in Behavioral Health: Insights from SMA Healthcare
The Behavioral Healthcare Workforce Crisis The behavioral healthcare sector faces one of the most severe workforce shortages in decades. As of 2023, an estimated 169 million individuals in the U.S. live in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas, which is projected to worsen by 2037 (National...
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Resisting Unjust Algorithms: Lessons from Maternal Health for Youth Mental Health and Education
In previous installations of this column, I have written about how communities of youth harmed by systemic oppression and inequities rely on peer-to-peer models of care on social media to meet healthcare, safety, and support needs when institutions fail to do so. Namely, queer youth are engaging in...
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Crisis Support for Youth: Expanding Home-Based and Community Care in NY
Without question, our children and youth benefit greatly when they have a safe, stable, and nurturing environment to call home. These elements, when coupled with positive relationships, provide a strong foundation to support brain development and resilience, which enables our youth to thrive...
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Biden-Harris Administration Launches National Behavioral Health Workforce Career Navigator
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced on November 13 the launch of the Behavioral Health Workforce Career Navigator, designed to help current and aspiring behavioral health...
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Behavioral Health News Spotlight on Excellence: An Interview with Jihoon Kim, CEO of InUnity Alliance
Overview In this interview, Jorge R. Petit, Founder/CEO of Quality Healthcare Solutions, LLC, speaks with Jihoon Kim, CEO of InUnity Alliance (asapnys.org / coalitionny.org). Jihoon discusses his strategic vision and priorities for addressing the growing mental health and addiction crisis in New...
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Addressing the Intersection between Severe Mental Illness and Homelessness
Services for the UnderServed (S:US) is one the largest community-based health and human services organizations in New York State that works intentionally daily to right societal imbalances by providing comprehensive and culturally responsive services. We provide services to people living with...
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Peers as an Effective Strategy for Engaging Individuals with Addictions in Recovery
As New York expands its Recovery Oriented System of Care (ROSC), the utilization of peers within hospital emergency rooms, addiction treatment, and recovery support providers, has demonstrated tremendous value, and opportunities to achieve enhanced engagement and retention of individuals in need of...
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Reimagining Integrated Care: Why Social Interventions are Vital in Providing Support for People with Serious Mental Illness
The concept of “integrated healthcare” has been regarded as an optimal treatment approach for individuals experiencing co-occurring mental and physical illnesses. Twenty years ago, Fountain House – the most widely replicated evidence-based community model for people living with mental illness...
