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The NYSPA Report: American Psychiatric Association Approaches to Social Determinants of Mental Health
The year 2020 refocused our attention on the social determinants of mental health. From structural racism to economic insecurity to healthcare disparities, people have become acutely aware of the insidious discrimination and losses that vulnerable individuals and communities have suffered. Rates of...
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NYS Office of Mental Health Seeks to Address the Social Determinants That Affect Mental Health in Our Communities
A part of New York State’s strength lies in its diversity, which provides us with the wisdom of many different cultures from which we can all learn. But diversity is often accompanied by inexcusable inequity, as residents of some communities are exposed greater risk of health problems. The...
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Is Technology a Social Determinant of Health?
In late March of 2020, Alicia R. called the intake line at Service Program for Older People (SPOP), a New York City-based behavioral health care provider for older adults. This was during the peak of the initial COVID-19 outbreak in New York City and all residents were advised to remain in their...
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Social Determinants of Rural Zip Codes
Only recently have we come to recognize the social determinants of mental health. Social determinants are those non-medical factors that play a significant role in our health and mental health. They include such things as education, economic stability, social connections, where we live,...
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Community-Based Mental Health Agencies Must Be a Part of the Social Determinant Solution
The behavioral health community can take enormous pride in the societal evolution of attitudes toward mental health challenges (to avoid the repeat of the word “treatment”). Psychological treatment is no longer discussed only in hushed tones but is now more accepted and supported than ever. But...
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COVID-19 Crisis Exposes Missing Social Determinant of Health Domain
The Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY), established in 1893, is the oldest and largest not-for profit home health care agency in the country. VNSNY established its Community Mental Health Services (CMHS) division in 1986 with the first community based mobile crisis program. As a division,...
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Stable Housing: A Determinant of Our Behavioral Health
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 author is 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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Behavioral Health During and After the Pandemic
The response of the behavioral health system to the COVID pandemic has been rapid and remarkable. But it is, of course, imperfect and incomplete. What are the challenges still to be met? And what will happen after the pandemic, hopefully, ends and we move on to a new normal? What Has Been Done...
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Using Social Determinants of Health for the Field of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
The concept of social determinants of health (SDOH) is particularly useful for the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Of course, this is not new news because the field has been engaged in building the social determinants of health for over 40 years. By just looking at...
