September, 2015
TIME TO ADJUST CALIFORNIA'S MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT
BY DARRELL STEINBERG Special to The Bee Imagine enough resources to provide permanent supportive housing for the thousands of homeless mentally ill and to provide robust mental health services for college students on all our public college campuses without raising a dime of additional state or local dollars. The vision described is possible with modest... read more
FOSTER CHILDREN WITH UNTREATED HEALTH ISSUES FACE BARRIERS TO CARE
Tuesday, September 29, 2015 Children with untreated physical and mental health issues living in foster care face several barriers to care, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics report by researchers from California and other states, NPR's "Shots" reports (Neighmond, "Shots," NPR, 9/28). The report -- which was published in the journal Pediatrics -- supports a policy statement... read more
PSYCHIATRISTS GROUP WARNS DOJ INSURANCE MERGERS COULD HURT CARE
NEW YORK US | Thu Sep 24, 2015 12:43pm EDT The American Psychiatric Association warned U.S. antitrust regulators this month that two proposed health insurance deals could worsen access to mental health care services, adding to public opposition from several prominent doctor groups. Anthem Inc would become the largest U.S. health insurer through a proposed... read more
'Dear Parent, Your Child Has Had a Psychotic Break'
By Marcia Morris September 22, 2015 3:30 am September 22, 2015 3:30 am I sit in my small office at the university counseling center, sighing as I pick up the phone to make the call that I always dread. I have worked as a psychiatrist with college students for 20 years, and this part... read more
LOW VITAMIN D LEVELS LINKED TO FASTER MEMORY LOSS IN OLDER ADULTS
BY WILL BOGGS MD (Reuters Health) - Older adults with low vitamin D levels – and that accounts for most of them – may lose their memories and thinking abilities faster than those with normal vitamin D levels, researchers say. “We were not particularly surprised by our findings because there is a recent and... read more
California Assembly to vote on diminished bill package to curb psychotropic drug use on foster children
By Karen de Sá kdesa@mercurynews.com POSTED: 09/06/2015 04:54:40 PM PDT With less than a week left before the end of the legislative session, intensive lobbying by physicians groups and cost concerns have undermined progress on the centerpiece of a bill package designed to end the excessive use of psychotropic drugs on California's foster youth. The... read more
Jerry Brown brokering late deal on medical marijuana regulations
SEPTEMBER 3, 2015 By Christopher Cadelago and Jeremy B. White Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is crafting the framework for medical marijuana regulations in California, a session-closing play that could end nearly two decades of clashing interpretations and court battles. With the Legislature scheduled to leave town next week, Brown’s office is said to be bearing... read more
How to Halt the Violence
The Opinion Pages | Op-Ed Contributor By JEFFREY A. LIEBERMAN, AUG. 28, 2015 WHEN Vester Lee Flanagan II fatally shot a television reporter and a cameraman in the midst of a live interview in Moneta, Va., it was a scene that has become all too familiar to us. In all these scenarios, we learn after... read more