Checking In With CMH
Cross-posted from Penn LDI’s Blog By Megan McCarthy-Alfano Screening tools for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often fail to identify ASD among children from low-income families and racial/ethnic minority groups, particularly when English is not the family’s primary language. A new visually-based tool may reduce these disparities at a pivotal point in children’s development. In Pediatrics, Zuleyha Cidav, David Mandell, and […]
Cross-posted from Penn LDI’s Blog Rebecca Stewart, PhD The opioid epidemic is in its fourth and possibly deadliest wave, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and disproportionately killing people of color. Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)—including methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone—are effective in combatting the epidemic, but sorely underused. Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disability Services (DBHIDS) recently enacted […]
Molly Candon, PhD The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) overturned their longstanding requirement that physicians must receive approval and undergo training to prescribe buprenorphine, the topline treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). This is an historic shift in policy, and its importance cannot be overstated. Last week, there were fewer than 100,000 waivered providers. Now, over one […]
Sonam Saxena The killing of Walter Wallace brought home, among other things, the desperate need to reform mental health crisis response programs. Too often, calls to the police end in injury or killing of the person in need. The Washington Post has recorded every fatal shooting by police since 2015. One in five killings are […]
Cross-posted from Penn LDI’s Health Policy$ense Polina Krass, MD As we approach the sixth month of widespread community transmission of COVID-19 in the United States, our focus must shift beyond acute management of disease to the broader effects of this pandemic on health and wellbeing. In particular, it is important that we understand the consequences […]
Cross-posted from Penn LDI’s Health Policy$ense Lily Brown, PhD In recent years, remarkable achievements in HIV testing and antiretroviral therapies have improved the detection, management, and care of persons living with HIV (PLWH). In the 1980s and 90s, patients with HIV infection faced a devastating prognosis. But now, with proper medications and support, PLWH can […]
Molly Candon, PhD Suicidality is more common than many people realize—according to the CDC, almost 10 million Americans experience suicidal ideation every year. Suicidality is also more treatable than many people realize. The “Zero Suicide Model” details the evidence base and care continuum for suicide prevention, starting with improved risk assessment (e.g., validated surveys), psychosocial […]
Cross-posted from Penn LDI’s Health Policy$ense Robin Ortiz, MD and Laura Sinko, PhD As the country looks to reopen and epidemiologists anticipate future waves of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, we must address an equally important “pandemic:” the virus’ far-reaching mental health and trauma-related consequences. Whether balancing activities of essential work with exposure risk, bearing witness to suffering […]
Sonam Saxena Adjusting to quarantine looks different for everyone. For individuals on the autism spectrum, the substantial daily changes associated with the pandemic have proven especially challenging and confusing. Many recently-published stories detail the challenges that individuals with autism or individuals caring for them currently face, including this one by STAT, this one by […]