Our time to celebrate: a conference presents an opportunity to
bring the "family" together.(PERSPECTIVES)
This month the National Association of Addiction Treatment
Providers (NAATP) will celebrate its 29th anniversary at our annual
conference (this year in San Diego). During the countdown to our . . .
Improving the chances for success: one agency's experience
with software implementation highlights what others can do to make it
With the recent growth of behavioral healthcare software options on
the market, more and more service agencies are taking the leap from
paper-based record keeping to electronic record keeping. Some . . .
The client record is where it all begins: better documentation
practices can help improve treatment outcomes.(INFORMATION
TECHNO
The substance abuse treatment system in this country is primarily
comprised of community-based treatment and prevention providers, most of
them not-for-profit organizations. They increasingly are . . .
Helping parents with mental illness: providers often do not take
into account adult consumers' family roles.(ADULT SERVICES)
An estimated 68% of women and 55% of men with mental illnesses in
the United States are parents. (1) In fact, adults with mental illnesses
are as likely to be parents as adults without mental . . .
A history of growth: During the past 50 years, Caron Treatment
Centers has expanded to accommodate service demands.(ADDICTION TR
Since Caron Treatment Centers was founded 50 years ago, we have
cultivated a rich tradition of pioneering treatment and enhancing our
facilities to reach a wide range of people suffering from . . .
Illegal immigrants need access to our services.(Letter to the
editor)
Dear Editor,
As a society, we have a "family secret": We accept
in-house ongoing violations of human rights. We deny and limit illegal
immigrants' access to social, educational, medical, and . . .
A living document: Mental Health, United States evolves alongside
the field.(PERSPECTIVES)
In March, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) published Mental Health, United States, 2004.
Since I have been associated with this publication for more than . . .
The depot paradox: long-acting formulations of antipsychotics can
boost treatment adherence rates, but clinicians have been hesi
Surrounded by a sea of uninsured patients, a host of bureaucratic
complexities, underfunded budgets, and a dearth of empirical evidence
and best-practice guidelines, (1,2) clinicians' decision . . .
Who can afford to stay? Addiction services professionals face low
compensation and high credentialing and education
costs.(STAFF
Those who spend their time helping, counseling, and advising the
22.2 million Americans who struggle with addictions constitute a unique
and special group of people. But some disturbing trends are . . .
Behavioral healthcare's new horizon: there's some
evidence of a brightening future for the field.(TRENDS)
Behavioral healthcare has had an image problem. For too long the
U.S. public has viewed behavioral health (and those of us who provide
it) as a distant cousin, twice removed, of general healthcare. . . .
Parent power.(Editorial)
Earlier this month a close relative graduated from high school.
Graduation is an important rite of passage for any teenager, but for him
it was an especially important event. He has Asperger's . . .
Hall-Brooke Hospital: Westport, Connecticut.(FACILITY DESIGN
SHOWCASE)(Brief article)
Hall-Brooke Behavioral Health Services, Inc., opened a new
60,000-square-foot, 60-bed inpatient mental health and substance abuse
hospital in June 2001, and in 2005 it renovated a section to open . . .
Wrapping around kids in need: a Missouri provider finds that
investing in the front end of services pays off.(CHILDREN
SERVICES)
Families and social workers are faced with many challenges when
trying to access services to address abuse, neglect, or mental health
concerns. The system is underresourced and disjointed . . .
Engaging art: therapeutic environments need artwork that excites
and inspires patients.(FACILITY DESIGN)
I was in Dr. Edward Greenblatt's new office selecting artwork
with him when he told me the following story: "David, my
12-year-old son, met me at my old office after school. He looked around
and . . .
The 12 steps of launching a new program: a guide for introducing
a new service to your community.(ADDICTION TREATMENT MANAGEMENT
Launching a new service can be an exciting endeavor for an
addiction treatment facility. "If you have always done what you
always did, you will always get what you always got" is a standard
line of . . .
Parent partners' possibilities: if you can overcome several
hurdles, these "peer" employees can be valuable resources for
people
In our previous column, we discussed the benefits of adding peer
employees to the behavioral health workforce. For the most part, our
focus has been on adult systems, but in this column we share an . . .
Recognizing the feds' good intentions: lawmakers and
regulators want to do the right thing, but a lack of understandings of
comp
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will soon
release proposed regulations for Medicaid's Rehabilitation Option
which, in CMS's own words, will clarify rehabilitation services . . .
Prescribing better risk management: the final article in a
three-part series on avoiding medication error lawsuits.(LIABILITY
LA
As discussed in the first article in this series (see the February
2007 issue, page 41), lawsuits about medication errors in behavioral
healthcare tend to have the same allegations from one case to . . .
The one-hour rule controversy: experts disagree on who should
evaluate patients after they have been secluded or restrained.(INP
Late last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS) issued final rules to prevent patient injuries and deaths from the
improper use of seclusion and restraint techniques in . . .
Spend time treating patients, not pests: integrated pest
management programs are essential for long-term success.(FACILITY
MANAG
Pests such as insects and rats are more than just an
annoyance--they're a threat. They can carry diseases that can
aggravate your patients' health, jeopardize food safety, and raise
concerns with . . .
|
|