News Mashup for July 2022
Underserving The Deserving
Over the past decade, attorneys at Young Minds Advocacy co-counseled three statewide class-action lawsuits that secured promises for intensive outpatient care to improve mental health outcomes for youth and their families and to reduce the need for institutionalization.
Unfortunately, a winning case does not necessarily translate into successful implementation of mandated remedies— not without ongoing diligence by a community of advocates, providers, families and youth.
A July article for The Seattle Times Mental Health Project by investigative reporter, Hannah Furfaro, illustrates a case in point:
A 2013 settlement for the statewide class action lawsuit—T.R. v. Dreyfuss — required The State of Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and Health Care Authority (HCA) to develop and provide intensive, individualized mental health services to Medicaid-eligible young people in their homes or communities. Implementation of the settlement resulted in the creation of a program called Wraparound with Intensive Services or “WISe.
The investigation by the The Seattle Times Mental Health Project shows that the state is struggling to keep up with the demand for services for youth with the most serious concerns—illnesses such as bipolar disorder and psychotic disorder. In fact, the investigation reveals, WISe programs disproportionately provide services for children and youth with less severe mental health conditions such as anxiety disorder, ADHD, and impulse control problems. For example, Washington estimated that youth with anxiety disorders should be about 49% of youth served— the actual number receiving services is 56%. That’s almost 15% more than expected. Contrast that to mania/bipolar disorder—the estimated need is 19% of youth served, whereas youth with mania/bipolar disorder receiving services is only 8%--about 42% less than expected.
The upshot is that kids with less complex needs may be overserved while those in need of the most intensive treatment and services are evidently underserved.
Underserving high-needs kids is not unique to Washington (see YMA’s Smorgasbord of Access-To-Care Failures). One only needs to pick up a newspaper to see that from California to Maine, states across the nation are in the hot seat for excessive wait-times for vital psychiatric care, “hoteling” of high-needs foster youth, shuttering of residential treatment facilities, and jail stays in lieu of treatment or placements.
Click on the links below to learn more.
Hannah Furfaro. July 3, 2022. Institutionalizing her son was the only option, a mother thought. Now she’s fighting to bring him home. The Seattle Times. Retrieved July 13, 2022 from https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mental-health/institutionalizing-her-son-was-the-only-option-a-mother-thought-now-shes-fighting-to-bring-him-home/ .
Abigail Kramer and Gabriel Poblete. June 23, 2022. “We’re at a crisis point”: NY attorney general hearing spotlights child mental health care failures. ProPublica. Retrieved June 24, 2022 from https://www.propublica.org/article/new-york-psychiatric-hospitals-hearing .
Cathie Anderson. June 30, 2022. Kaiser mental health patients waiting months for appointments in Sacramento-area, employees say. The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved June 30, 2022 from https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article263070053.html#storylink=cpy .
Patrick Smith. June 15, 2022. Some youths in Illinois' foster system who are hard to place are being left in jail. NPR. Retrieved June 20, 2022 from https://www.npr.org/2022/06/15/1105318196/some-youths-in-illinois-foster-system-who-are-hard-to-place-are-being-left-in-ja .
Sam Whitehead. June 1, 2022. ‘Desperate situation’: States are housing high-needs foster kids in offices and hotels. Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved June 15, 2022 from https://khn.org/news/article/foster-care-hoteling-temporary-placement/ .
Troubled College Campuses
A recent Fortune—Harris Poll survey of mental health on college campuses shows that 3 in 5 students were diagnosed with a mental health condition in the last academic year, most commonly depressive or anxiety disorders.
In July, Fortune reporter, Megan Leonhardt, drilled down into the poll results. Of the 1,000 students surveyed “almost 50% reported their overall mental health has worsened since the pandemic. About 56% say they have experienced worsening stress, while 53% reported heightened anxiety, and 45% cited increased depression symptoms.”
Of those students with a diagnosed mental health condition, only 30% received counseling or other services on campus. In an interview with Fortune, John Dunkle, senior clinical director at the JED Foundation, spoke to the challenges campus counseling centers face—most are unprepared to meet the growing demand.
One campus, California State University at Long Beach (CSU-LB), recently put in place a comprehensive campuswide mental health strategic plan—it’s the first of its kind in the nation. EdSource reporter, Ashley Smith, talked to the university’s vice president of student affairs, Beth Lesen, to learn about the program. “The Long Beach plan includes 60 action items that focus on minimizing or eliminating disparities in health equity, using technology to reach students and promoting strategies considering students’ diversity and cultural backgrounds.” The plan includes establishment of a Mobile Crisis Unit that imbeds mental health professionals in campus police units.
As Smith points out “The [CSU-LB] initiative comes at a time when government and private funding is focused on expanding mental health care for college students.” This month the U.S. House of Representatives passed two bipartisan bills related to campus mental health: H.R. 5407- Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act and H.R.6493 - Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act of 2022. Both bills were referred to the Senate on July 11.
Click on the links to learn more.
Megan Leonhardt. July 12, 2022. Crisis on campus: 60% of college kids are living with mental health disorders, and schools are woefully unprepared. Fortune Well. Retrieved June 31, 2022 from https://fortune.com/well/2022/07/12/mental-health-crisis-college-schools-unprepared/ .
Marvin Krislov. July 27, 2022. We must invest in college students' mental health. It's an investment in our future. northjersey.com. Retrieved June 30, 2022 from https://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/2022/07/27/we-must-invest-in-college-students-mental-health/65384746007/ .
Ashley A. Smith. July 8, 2022. CSU Long Beach makes mental health priority. EdSource. Retrieved July 13, 2022 from https://edsource.org/2022/csu-long-beach-makes-mental-health-priority/675218 .
American Council on Education. December 11, 2020. New Pulse Point survey of college presidents shows increase in mental health concerns, ongoing impact of COVID-19. Retrieved July 31, 2022 from https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/New-Pulse-Point-Survey-of-College-Presidents-Shows-Increase-in-Mental-Health-Concerns-Ongoing-Impact-of-COVID-19.aspx .
Troubled K-12 Classrooms
On July 6, The U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released results of a national survey showing that during the 2021-2022 academic year more than 80% of public schools experienced an increase in adverse student behavior and stunted socio-emotional development. Respondents, comprising leaders from over 800 institutions, attributed increased incidents of student misconduct, inside (56 %) and outside (49%) the classroom, to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 70% of the respondents expressed the need for additional funding to support student and/or staff mental health.
The July report comes on the heels of a report issued by NCES in June of this year providing comparative statistics on school crime and safety for the academic years 2009-2010 versus 2019-2020. The decadal comparison revealed a rise in verbal abuse, disrespect, and gun violence.
Click on the links below to learn more.
National Center for Education Statistics. July 6, 2022. More than 80 percent of U.S. public schools report pandemic has negatively impacted student behavior and socio-emotional development. [Press Release] Retrieved July 13, 2022 from https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/07_06_2022.asp .
Donna St. George. July 6, 2022. Behavioral issues, absenteeism at schools increase, federal data shows. The Washington Post. Retrieved July 13, 2022 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/07/05/absenteeism-behavioral-issues-pandemic-data/ .
Véronique Irwin, Ke Wang, Jiashan Cui, and Alexandra Thompson. June 2022. Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021. National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved July 31, 2022 from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2022/2022092.pdf .
Hello 988
The new 988 mental health hotline went live on July 16, offering individuals experiencing a mental health crisis a quick connection to a trained professional. At a recent press briefing, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, promised that "988 won't be a busy signal, and 988 won't put you on hold. You will get help."
Fulfilling that promise may prove difficult, especially in rural areas. A recent nationwide analysis by the Rand Corporation suggests only 48% of the jurisdictions reviewed had short-term crisis stabilization programs and only 28% possessed urgent care units for mental health. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is tracking 988 implementation legislation in statehouses across the country.
Click on the links below to learn more.
Julianne McShane. July 6, 2022. Experts hope LGBTQ youth will call 988, a new suicide lifeline number. The Washington Post. Retrieved July 27, 2022 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/06/988-suicide-prevention-hotline-lgbtq-youth/ .
April Dembosky. July 14, 2022. A new mental health crisis line launches on Saturday. Is California ready to operate it? KQED. Retrieved July 31, 2022 from https://www.kqed.org/news/11919553/a-new-mental-health-crisis-line-launches-on-saturday-is-california-ready-to-operate-it .
Rhitu Chatterjee. July 16, 2022. The new 988 mental health hotline is live. Here's what to know. NPR. Retrieved July 24, 2022 from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/07/15/1111316589/988-suicide-hotline-number .
Dani Blum. July 12, 2022. What to know about 988, the new mental health crisis hotline. The New York Times. Retrieved July 24, 2022 from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/12/well/988-suicide-prevention-hotline.html .
Jocelyn Wiener. Dial 988: State’s new mental health crisis hotline debuts. July 15, 2022. CalMatters. Retrieved July 24, 2022 from https://calmatters.org/health/2022/07/california-mental-health-crisis-hotline/ .
The Kennedy Forum. July 15, 2022. The promise of 988 Is real. Can states like California set the bar? Retrieved July 24, 2022 from https://www.thekennedyforum.org/blog/the-promise-of-988-is-real-can-states-like-california-set-the-bar/ .
Moe Keller and Vincent Atchity. July 15, 2022. With 9-8-8 mental health hotline about to launch, massive funding gaps remain. The Hill. Retrieved July 28, 2022 from https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/3561081-with-9-8-8-mental-health-hotline-about-to-launch-massive-funding-gaps-remain/ .
Mental Health America. July 2022. 988 Implementation: A guide for MHA affiliates. Retrieved July 23, 2022 from https://mhanational.org/sites/default/files/2022-07/988-Implementation-Affiliate-Guide.pdf .
Christina Saint Louis. July 28, 2022. The US mental health hotline network is expanding, but rural areas still face care shortages. Kaiser Health News. Retrieved July 31, 2022 from https://khn.org/news/article/988-mental-health-suicide-prevention-hotline-network-rural-areas-service-shortages .
Jonathan Cantor, Ryan McBain, Stephanie Brooks Holliday, Samantha Matthews, Armenda Bialas, Nicole Eberhart, and Joshua Breslau. June 2, 2022. Preparedness for 988 throughout the United States. Rand Corporation. Retrieved June 16, 2022 from https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WRA1955-1.html.
[NAMI 988 Crisis Response State Legislation Map https://reimaginecrisis.org/map/]
More Stories in July: Advancing an alternative to police: Community-based services for Black people with mental illness Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law — 07.01.2022; Depression screens do not reduce suicidal acts in teens MedScape — 07.08.2022; California taxed millionaires to fix its mental health crisis. Why it’s fallen so short The Los Angeles Times —07.10.2022; Children in immigrant families health snapshot CLASP — 07.13.2022; Innovations in telehealth in mental health and substance use during COVID-19 National Council for Mental Wellbeing — 07.15.2022; Nearly 70% of homeless students in Los Angeles Unified chronically absent last year LA School Report — 07.19.2022; Feds urge schools to ‘redouble’ efforts to keep students with disabilities in class The 74 — 07.19.2022; New pathway to a diploma opens doors for students with disabilities EdSource — 07.20.2022; Will California’s $4.1-billion bet on ‘community schools’ transform K-12 education? Los Angeles Times — 07.20.2022; When a parent’s mental health struggle affects their kids The Washington Post — 07.21.2022; Where do foster kids’ federal benefits go? CalMatters — 07.22.2022; California’s foster youth get some good news: An extra year of safe, affordable housing JBAY — 07.22.2022; Journalists reexamine mental health barriers, gun control laws, and homelessness Kaiser Health News — 07.23.2022; Hawaii has no girls in juvenile detention. Here’s how it got there The Washington Post — 07.25.2022; The Americans with Disabilities Act at 32: Emerging from the public health emergency NHeLP — 07.26.2022; 30+ years after the ADA, disabled people still don’t have economic justice CLASP — 07.27.2022; Few Black men become school psychologists. Here's why that matters NPR — 07.29.2022; Biden-Harris administration announces two new actions to address youth mental health crisis The White House Briefing Room — 07.29.2022;
