- Biden-Harris Administration Releases National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and First-Ever Federal Action Plan
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- Native Americans Have Shorter Life Spans, and It's Not Just Due to Lack of Health Care
- Promotoras Play Essential Role in Connecting Farmworkers with Health Care in Rural NorCal
- Using Medicaid to Address Young People's Mental Health Needs in School Settings
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- City-Country Mortality Gap Widens amid Persistent Holes in Rural Health Care Access
- Tribal Environmental Impact Network
- Minnesota's Rural Ambulance Providers Look to State Capitol for Their Own Lifeline
- Biden-Harris Administration Takes Action to Support the Primary Care Workforce
Psychiatrist Shortage Causing Suffering, Risk of Jail and Suicide in Central Pennsylvania
Depression is on the rise. So is suicide, particularly among young people and military veterans. And Pennsylvania recently concluded that addressing mental health needs is the best defense against school shootings.
Yet, because of a shortage of psychiatrists, people commonly wait six months for an appointment in central Pennsylvania. That means some people badly in need of help continue suffering, and may become dangerous to themselves or others, before they can begin getting better.
“It’s terrible,” says Marge Chapman, executive director of the Dauphin County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI.
Kathleen Zwierzyna, head of the NAMI chapter for Cumberland and Perry counties, tells of a relative who waited more than five months for an appointment with a psychiatrist. “We know many families who have lived through it,” she says.
Long waits extend to young people who show signs of mental illness at school and are referred by school staff, says Dan Daniels, executive director of the NAMI organization serving York and Adams counties.
Nearly half of Pennsylvania counties have no psychiatrist, says Christine Michaels, CEO of NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania.
“Yet there’s a crisis with suicide,” she says, noting areas that lack psychiatrists tend to be economically-depressed and have higher rates of depression among residents.
Psychiatrists, who are medical doctors, play a key role in diagnosing mental illness and deciding what treatment and medication should be used. Sometimes, symptoms return in patients who have been doing well, putting them in need of a psychiatrist to change or adjust their medication.
When people experiencing mental illness have to wait to be diagnosed, or begin medication or have it adjusted, it can disrupt their ability to work, attend school or care for their family, says Dr. Erika Saunders, chair of psychiatry at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Worse, it can put them at high risk of having to be hospitalized, ending up in jail or committing suicide, she says
Beyond that, delays can trigger other health problems and cause harrowing and destabilizing times for families. “There is a huge burden on families who are trying to care for their loved one,” Saunders says.
One central Pennsylvania resident who doesn’t want his name published experienced a return of a condition that had been well-controlled for years with medication. He learned his Harrisburg-area psychiatrist had retired. He says he contacted the area’s three major health systems: Penn State Health, UPMC Pinnacle and Geisinger Holy Spirit.
None could offer a near-term appointment, he says. One provided a list of private psychiatrists, but none were available. One suggested he try again in fall. “We have a severe shortage of mental health professionals,” Saunders says. “We’re doing our best to care for [the sickest] patients, but we need to expand access for all patients.”
The shortage is severe not only in Pennsylvania but in much of the United States.
Read the entire article here.
Suicide is Growing Health Crisis for African American Youth
She started having suicidal thoughts at 11 or 12. She didn’t know the words to name it. She had no idea what it was, but she consistently had these urges to end her life. “I just wanted to be dead,” she says.
One night when she was 24, and already long diagnosed with clinical depression, she succumbed to the feelings. “I couldn’t suppress these thoughts anymore,” she recalls. “I had thought about ending my life for eight straight months. “I texted a friend and said, ‘It would be better if I wasn’t here.’ That friend did not know that I had already taken substances in the hope that I would go to sleep and not wake up. And while I was waiting to die, the police showed up.”
T-Kea Blackman, now 29, survived that attempt and dedicated her life to helping others navigate the darkness of depression and mental health crises.
Read the entire article here.
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Calls for Declaration of Public Health Emergency
Pennsylvania’s secretary of health is asking state lawmakers to declare a public health emergency as she announced that Pennsylvania had recorded its first death from a vaping-related lung disease.
Dr. Rachel Levine said the state has nine confirmed cases of the lung ailment, 12 more probable cases and more than 60 they are still investigating. She urged Pennsylvanians to not vape, saying little is known about the illness except that it can be fatal.
Levine said she and Gov. Tom Wolf would like lawmakers to pass legislation declaring a public health emergency, which she said would allow her department to take specific action to keep this public health crisis from becoming an epidemic.
Without going into specifics, she said if legislation were approved for an emergency declaration, she and Wolf would have the ability make “targeted” changes to existing regulations. Nate Wardle, state health department press secretary, said her authority would be temporary.
Pennsylvania reported its first instances of vaping-associated lung disease to the federal Centers for Disease Control in September. Levine said she couldn’t provide details about the age, race or gender of the person who did. She did say that the cases that have reported appear evenly spread around the state.
Experts have said the lung disease resembles chemical exposure injuries. Pinpointing the culprit in vaping-associated lung disease isn’t simple. “We don’t know the chemicals in these products,” Levine said. “Whether they are bought commercially or bought on the street illegally.” Even the federal Centers for Disease Control, which is investigating vaping-associated lung disease, doesn’t know what’s causing the illness, Levine said.
“The fact that we have seen a death in addition to patients with very serious lung disease underscores the importance that people be aware of the symptoms associated with this illness,” Levine said. “The signs and symptoms of potential lung injury associated with vaping include cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, fatigue, fever, or weight loss.”
The common factor among those who are reporting the same symptoms is that they have used a vaping device. Many of the cases involve people who vape using illegal cartridges, some with THC.
“The investigation into these cases in Pennsylvania and nationally is very complex,” said Levine. “And, it is evolving and changing every day. Unfortunately, right now, we still cannot say definitively what is making people sick. And whether it is related to the products being used, or the delivery of those products.”
Levine said she urged anyone who is vaping to stop, and anyone who is part of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program to discuss with their physician or dispensary if vaping their medicine may be harmful to their health.
Updated Oct 04, 2019; Posted Oct 04, 2019
2020’s Biggest Patient-safety Concerns
ECRI Institute this week released its annual list of the 10 biggest patient-safety concerns in 2020, with misuse of surgical staplers ranking No. 1. Marcus Schabacker, president and CEO of ECRI, said, “Injuries and deaths from the misuse of surgical staplers” were found to be “substantial and preventable.” (Source: HealthLeaders Media, 10/8)
Understanding Social Determinants of Health
The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation has released a blog on Social Determinants of Health: A required Curriculum. The blog discusses the importance of understanding all the social factors that can affect a patient’s health and how medical professionals need to understand the conditions in their communities if they are going to help their patients live their healthiest lives. This blog can be applied to all health professionals.
New Online Resource Addresses Oral Health Needs
The American Academy of Pediatrics has published the “Oral Health Prevention Primer,” an online resource for pediatricians and providers who want to do more to address the oral health needs of children. The resource will help providers working with children understand the roles of various oral health allies, how they can collaborate, ways to provide oral health services, and how to advocate to achieve optimal oral health for their community with the goal of preventing dental disease before it starts.
Increasing Access to Healthy Food & Exercise in Public Housing
The National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) released a new publication, Increasing Access to Healthy Food and Exercise in Public Housing Communities, that addresses the existing challenges of living in communities with poor access to healthy foods and safe places to exercise. It includes examples of Public Health Housing Primary Care Grantee strategies and programs that have increased access to healthy food, exercise and weight control.
Sam’s Club Piloting Health Care Packages in Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh’s NPR news station reports that starting in early October, Sam’s Club members in Pennsylvania as well as Michigan and North Carolina will be able to buy one of four bundles of healthcare services ranging in annual fees from $50 for individuals to $240 for a family of up to six members. Each bundle offers savings on dental services with a network of providers through the health insurer Humana as well as unlimited telehealth for $1 per visit through a Seattle-based company called 98point6.The bundles also offer discounted vision exams and optical products, and free prescriptions on certain generic medications. The number of free generics range from 5 to 20 of the most popular medications, depending on what the member chooses. Customers will be introduced to a new form of care from 98point6 where patients can be diagnosed and treated without talking to or seeing the doctor. Patients who click on the 98point6 app first tell their symptoms to a chatbot or automated assistant that uses artificial intelligence. The information then get passed along to a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Video and phone conversations will also be available when needed. Read more.
October is Health Literacy Month
The Pennsylvania Insurance Department partnered with the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers and other organizations to produce a total of 10 health insurance literacy videos that help consumers understand why and when to buy insurance, as well as how to select a plan and read an explanation of benefits (EOB). See below for links to the resources that are available.
- Why Buy Health Insurance?
- Part of staying healthy is receiving essential and routine preventive services
- When to Buy Health Insurance
- Marketplace open enrollment runs from Nov. 1 through Dec. 15
- Health Care Costs You Should Know
- How to distinguish between a premium, co-pay, deductible, co-insurance, etc.
- Provider Networks
- Know the difference between in-network and out-of-network
- How to Choose a Health Insurance Plan
- The type of insurance impacts the way doctors and providers can be accessed
- Prescription Drug Coverage
- If a specific prescription is needed, be sure to check it is covered under a plan
- You Bought Health Insurance, Now What?
- Look for a welcome packet from the insurance company
- Insurance Cards Are Important
- Be sure to always carry the provided card from the insurance company
- What If I Get Sick?
- Know the difference between primary care, urgent care and emergency care
- What Is an EOB?
- “This is NOT a bill”
Pennsylvania Governor’s Administration Distributes Nearly 7,000 Free Naloxone Kits
Pennsylvania Governor Wolf’s administration announced it handed out 6,774 kits of free naloxone as part of September opioid overdose prevention events. The kits were made available at 95 locations across the state. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said more than 4,400 people died from a drug overdose in Pennsylvania in 2018. Issued by Levine in 2018 and most recently updated in July, a standing order prescription is available to any Pennsylvanian to get naloxone at a pharmacy for anyone who may need it. According to the PA Department of Health, more than 25,000 people have been revived with naloxone by police officers and EMS providers in the commonwealth since Nov. 2014. The FY 2019-20 state budget included a $1.5 million increase in funding for first responders, who have access to free naloxone and are permitted to administer it as part of their treatment of someone who has overdosed.