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Kaiser agrees to $200 million in fines, fixes after failing to provide timely mental health care
Los Angeles Times By Andrew J. Campa Oct. 13, 2023 Kaiser Permanente agreed to a $200-million settlement and major changes to its mental health services after investigations revealed the healthcare giant canceled tens of thousands of appointments and failed to provide timely care, the California Department of Managed Health Care announced Thursday. The agreement includes... read more
The Washington Post By Cathy Free October 18, 2023 Her doctor, Earl D. King, said he wrote it down ‘because people sometimes don’t follow your instructions’ Robin Sipe’s eyes filled with tears as soon as her doctor entered the examining room. “My cat had recently died and I was feeling really sad and depressed,” Sipe... read more
California is reinventing how it deals with mental illness. Now the locals have to make it work
Los Angeles Times By Thomas Curwen Oct. 12, 2023 Earlier this year, when Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out the agenda for his second term, he made clear his ambition to reform the state’s behavioral health system. By signing into law on Tuesday an expansion of conservatorship criteria, and then approving a ballot measure on Thursday to increase... read more
San diego psychiatric society fall Cme
pathways to recovery: understanding and addressing substance use disorders
Peace Corps Sued Over Mental Health Policy
The New York Times By Ellen Barry Sept. 27, 2023 Applicants have challenged the Peace Corps practice of rescinding invitations to applicants on the basis of mental health conditions. Lea Iodice was thrilled to hear that the Peace Corps had accepted her application and was sending her to Senegal as a community health care worker.... read more
HEAT'S HIDDEN RISK
The Washington Post By Shannon Osaka, Erin Patrick O'Connor and John Muyskens Sept. 6, 2023 PHOENIX On an isolated street a few steps from the looming, cactus-peppered slopes of South Mountain, there was nowhere to hide from the heat. It was one o’clock on a Thursday in July 2022, and temperatures had already climbed to... read more
After the blaze, coping with 'fire brain'
The Washington Post By Marlene Cimons and Kim Bellware August 20, 2023 Research suggests that survivors of the Maui wildfires face a long road of physical and cognitive challenges after the trauma and physical effects of fire and smoke particles. Many people escaped the deadly Maui wildfires — some in harrowing fashion — but their... read more
More obituaries acknowledge suicide as openness on mental health grows
The Washington Post By Debby Waldman August 20, 2023 When Deborah and Warren Blum’s 16-year-old died by suicide in November 2021, they went into shock. For two days, the grief-stricken Los Angeles couple didn’t sleep. But when it came time to write a death notice, Deborah Blum was clearheaded: In a heartfelt tribute to her smart, funny,... read more
Opinion: My daughter died living on the streets. Her mental illness kept her from accepting help.
The San Diego Union Tribune By Lynn Solorzano July 31, 2023 We lost our daughter Ashley due to mental illness, homelessness and drug use. This is her story. Ashley was born and raised in San Diego. She was fiercely independent, rebellious, impulsive and moody. She didn’t listen to anyone and marched to the beat of... read more
The Collateral Damage of A.D.H.D. Drug Shortages
The New York Times By Christina Caron Aug. 15, 2023 As a new school year begins, parents and doctors find medication shortages are leading to declines in learning and self-esteem. In the spring, Riana Shaw Robinson learned that her 11-year-old son, Madison, had sprinted out of class to chase a squirrel through his school’s courtyard... read more