11 Posts in Behavioral Health
Employee turnover remains a hot-button issue among health and human service providers around the globe. A recent article, published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, found a link between high employee turnover rates and disparate access to behavioral health in foreign countries. Furthermore, the study found higher staff density rates, the number of people involved in caring for each...
In April of 2014, Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, which is also referred to as PAMA. Section 223 of this Act requires that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) create a process to certify Community Behavioral Health Clinics. Once a clinic receives certification, it becomes a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC).
The goal of the Excellence in Mental Health Act (EMHA) is not to direct healthcare professionals on how they should provide care; instead, the EMHA is designed to aid a facility in its ability to provide each client with an excellent standard of care despite his or her particular situation. The act offers quality objectives that intend to place a renewed focus on person-centered care as well...
Society has a way of rationalizing substance use disorder (SUD). In reality, the struggles of life experiences, surroundings and personal choices directly impact a person’s ability to cope. Unfortunately, many turn to substances, including drugs and alcohol, to overcome this turmoil. Among veterans, there is a disturbing increase in the incidence of drug abuse and co-occurring mental health...
Take a moment to think about the death rates from cars versus drug overdoses. Now, consider how the rates of incarceration have grown in conjunction with the rise of the opioid epidemic. According to The Wall Street Journal, state prisons are experiencing problems with reducing prison populations due to a surge of arrests following the use or distribution of opioids, including prescription...
Discussions on mental health have a tendency to focus on adults living with behavioral health problems, including depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Yet, school-age children and adolescents continue to suffer outside of the media’s attention-circle. In fact, students may be at a higher risk for mental health problems than the general population, reports NPR.org. Consequently, you need to...
It is easy to think of workplace violence as a problem that evolves from employees and their outside lives. However, workplace violence can be inherent in caring for those with behavioral health problems. In your role of providing services to your clients, you may encounter aggression, including verbal and physical altercations. Yet, you cannot simply turn to animalistic instincts without...
While it is true that everyone feels anxious at one time or another, caregivers need to recognize when their patients are experiencing the symptoms of an anxiety disorder and/or suffering with panic attacks.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (2010) states that the federal government in conjunction with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are pushing for the integration of behavioral health care and primary care for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI).
We’ve been focusing lately on management issues, onboarding, staff development, retention and engagement and managing millennials. My colleague wrote a great post about millennials and I’m going to add my behavioral health perspective to the “millennial gift”.
