An Alarming Number Of ER Patients Have Undetected Suicidal Thoughts, But Hospitals Lack Resources To Screen For Them
Amid a growing suicide crisis, mental health advocates are frustrated that a seemingly easy step in saving hundreds of lives a year can't be implemented in emergency rooms. In other mental health news: a large philanthropic gift, a culture change in workplaces, and the trauma of wildfires.
The Washington Post:
Suicide Screening In ER Could Save Lives
Edwin Boudreaux remembers the first time he was left in charge of a patient as a graduate student training to be a psychologist. The patient had come in for routine diabetes treatment but it quickly became apparent she was suicidal. “She was so suicidal, I had to walk her from our clinic to the emergency department just to make sure nothing would happen in between,” Boudreaux said. (Wan, 11/8)
The New York Times:
A New Generation Stakes Out A New Path For Charitable Giving
This week, the Huntsman family — one of the most philanthropic in the United States — made a $150 million gift to the University of Utah to establish the Huntsman Mental Health Institute. The gift was a continuation of the large-scale charitable giving by the family’s patriarch, the billionaire industrialist Jon Huntsman Sr., who died last year, and his wife, Karen. Mr. Huntsman was one of the most philanthropic men of his generation. He was among the first to give away over $1 billion in his lifetime — long before Warren Buffett and Bill Gates created the Giving Pledge to induce billionaires to commit to donating at least half of their fortune to charity. (Sullivan, 11/8)
Reuters:
Culture Change Is The Cutting Edge Of Mental Health Benefits At Work
Many companies offer employee assistance programs, mindfulness apps or in-office counseling. But experts say a culture shift toward openness, from the C-suite on down, is most effective. That translates to peer counseling, colleagues sharing their experiences and open dialogue. Companies take a myriad of approaches to this challenge. At SAP, considered a thought leader on employee mental health, the company calls its system the Employee Care Cycle. That starts with prevention and destigmatization, said Torsten Paul, SAP's director digital health & well-being. (11/8)
KQED:
Minds Scarred By Wildfire: How Disasters Linger
Recovering from the physical losses has been a challenge, but the emotional ones have proved tougher for Hanes due to her history of trauma. Natural disasters like the Camp Fire can reopen those old wounds or create new ones, experts say, bringing up trauma symptoms like insomnia, worry and hopelessness. (Klivans, 11/8)
