General Mental Health Articles
- Involuntary commitments are supposed to be a last resort to mandate psychiatric care at an inpatient facility for a specified amount of time. These experiences are often emotional for the patient and their loved ones. In that vulnerable moment, a uniformed officer arrives at the emergency department to drive the patient — handcuffed in a patrol car or an inmate transfer van — to an inpatient psychiatric facility that has an available bed. It’s a practice that many patients find traumatizing. However, it will soon be changing in North Carolina. Read more here.
- In the last week of 2024, six residents suffering a mental health crisis in the Eagle River Valley had to be transported to metro Denver for treatment. “The need is here. That just shows how great it would be for us to have this for our community,” said Chris Lindley, officially the chief population health officer for Vail Health’s nascent behavior health mission. Lindley is showing off a new inpatient mental health crisis center in the middle of a valley where suicide ranks among the leading causes of death. Read more here.
Youth Mental Health
- Heston and her son, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, autism, and ADHD, is among thousands of families who have received treatment from the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver, an intensive mental health service program for families who cannot afford long-term psychiatric inpatient care or who would rather see their child receive treatment in their own community. The program, which serves about 2,200 children, is currently in desperate need of additional funding as providers leave the program due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates. Read more here.
Military Mental Health
- Some health providers across the Tricare East Region have gone unpaid since the beginning of the year, leading them to wonder whether they can continue to treat military members or their families. Mental health counselors, physical therapists, autism specialists, and others say they haven't been paid since Dec. 31, when Humana Military, the contractor for Tricare East, switched claims processing companies. Read more here.
The Opioid Crisis
- President Trump ordered import taxes on goods from Canada, China, and Mexico, a move that could raise costs for consumers across the economy, including in health care. Tariffs of 25% on imports from Canada (except energy) and Mexico, and 10% on goods from China, will take effect. Trump said the tariffs will remain in place until those countries stop the flow of fentanyl and undocumented immigrants into the United States. Read more here.
- President Trump says illegal street fentanyl is one of the main justifications for sweeping trade tariffs he plans to impose against Canada, China, and Mexico. A statement issued by the White House describes the synthetic opioid as fueling a "national emergency" that warranted tough action. Experts say the reality is far more complex. Read more here.
- San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted to give newly elected Mayor Daniel Lurie greater powers and flexibility to expedite the city’s response to a fentanyl crisis that has turned sidewalks into open-air dens of drug consumption and homelessness. The board voted 10-1 to eliminate competitive bidding requirements for some contracts and allow the administration to solicit private donations to quickly add 1,500 shelter beds and hire more public safety and behavioral health specialists. Read more here.
- House Republicans are moving quickly to pass legislation that would result in harsher sentences for people convicted of fentanyl-related offenses, putting pressure on Democrats who were divided on the bill during the previous Congress. Leadership teed up the GOP-sponsored HALT Fentanyl Act for a floor vote. The bill would permanently classify fentanyl-like substances into Schedule 1, a category reserved for the most dangerous drugs. Read more here.
Transgender Rights
- More than a dozen Democratic state attorneys general affirmed their support for gender-affirming health care for transgender youth after an executive order issued by President Trump threatened federal support for treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery for young people. Read more here.
- Hospitals in Colorado have begun responding to new federal mandates from President Trump restricting transgender rights. Denver Health says it's complying with the order to maintain access to federal programs, but families across the state are grappling with the impact. Read more here.
Federal Policy
- Funding delays have pushed several community health centers nationwide to close or cut back on staff, citing issues accessing federal funding. Federally qualified health centers, or FQHCs, offer preventive, dental, and mental health care services and must serve all patients regardless of their ability to pay. They’re supported by both discretionary funding appropriated by Congress and mandatory funding required through the Community Health Center Fund. Read more here.
- A bipartisan group of representatives introduced a bill that would offset and exceed a pay cut for doctors that went into effect at the top of this year. The proposed adjustment would take effect April 1 and run through the rest of 2025, thereby leaving the year’s 2.83% Medicare pay cut in place for services furnished from January to March. Services furnished after the cutoff, however, would see a 6.62% increase—offsetting the pay cut, adjusting for inflation, and prorating the first three months of pay cuts. Read more here.
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