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Guide to Equity Terminology: Promoting Behavioral Health Equity through the Words We Use
In the field of behavioral health, words are often our primary tools. We don’t have hammers and saws, thermometers and stethoscopes, or brushes and palettes. Words are powerful tools and using them with intention is central to our craft. “I’ll never forget, years ago, when I was asked to...
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Still Reaching: The Syndemics that Complicate and Characterize How Drugs and HIV Intersect in People’s Lives
Nearly 42 years ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a rare pneumonia in five gay men, marking the recognized start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. While we often hear about those men’s sexuality, we hear less often about their substamce use. As the 1981 report notes,...
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Young Men at Highest Risk of Schizophrenia Linked with Cannabis Use Disorder
Young men with cannabis (marijuana) use disorder have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia, according to a study led by researchers at the Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health. The...
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces $36.9 Million in Behavioral Health Funding Opportunities
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced on February 26 $36.9 million in notices of funding opportunities for grant programs supporting behavioral health services across the U.S. These grant...
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NY State Governor Hochul Expands Access to Mental Health Care for 200,000 SUNY Students
$10 Million to Support Expanded Mental Health Care Services at 28 SUNY Campuses Funding Allocated to SUNY’s State-Operated Campuses Through This Year’s Historic $163 Million Operating Increase Fact Sheet Outlining Campus Initiatives Available Here On February 14th, Governor Kathy...
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What is Old is New Again: Recognizing the Value of Housing and Employment in Recovery
To successfully navigate unprecedented epidemics of mental illness and substance use, we must address both an enduring workforce crisis and the myriad political and socioeconomic factors that undermine behavioral health, particularly for members of vulnerable populations. Many individuals with...
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Safe, Stable Housing and Employment Are Key Social Determinants of Health, and Critical for Recovery!
Safe and stable housing, together with appropriate employment, are important determinants of mental and physical health. For people who are living with mental illness, housing and employment can play a critical role in their journeys towards recovery. Governor Hochul has long recognized the...
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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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The Integrated Role of Housing and Employment in Recovery
When you think of recovery, you often think of what we would consider our social determinants of health: financial stability, housing and surrounding environment, health care access, education, and social connections. When a person is doing well in all these domains, they generally thrive and...
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Preparing Youth with Behavioral Health Needs to Enter the Workforce: A Pathway to Housing
Imagine sitting in a classroom, expected to absorb the curriculum, when you are extremely worried about whether your family will be evicted from their home. What can you, a young person trying to graduate from high school, do to change your circumstances? What if you have also survived traumatic...
