Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Federal Judge Rules Against ER Boarding For NH Mental Health Patients
New Hampshire Public Radio: Judge: ER Boarding Illegally ‘Commandeers’ NH Hospital Resources
New Hampshire’s practice of temporarily boarding mental health patients in hospital emergency departments is an illegal seizure of the hospitals’ property that disrupts care for other patients in need, a federal judge has ruled. (Cuno-Booth, 2/27)
North Carolina Health News: Worker Shortages Mean Hospitals Can't Admit Mental Health Patients
Mental health patients in need of admission to state-run psychiatric hospitals across North Carolina might spend hours, days or even weeks in an emergency department, waiting for an open bed in a facility that is better staffed and equipped for their needs. The state Department of Health and Human Services created a monitoring system over the past year that provides a quick report about the location of open mental health care beds available across the state. What it shows can be disturbing. (Hoban, 2/28)
In other news about mental health care —
San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. To Create Court For Severely Mentally Ill People. Will It Work?
The Legislature passed Newsom’s bill, and now San Francisco is among the first batch of counties tasked with launching the program by Oct. 1. Dubbed CARE (Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment) Court, the program could refer hundreds of people in San Francisco to court-ordered care plans, offering hope to families who’ve long struggled to get their loved ones into care, but drawing opposition from disability and civil rights advocates. (Moench, 2/27)
Houston Chronicle: Texas Working To Expand Virtual, School-Based Therapy To All Districts
As the demand for youth mental health services skyrockets, state leaders are trying to expand the program into every Texas school district whose administrators are interested. That is an ambitious task made challenging by the national shortage of mental health professionals, said Dr. Laurel Williams, a Baylor College of Medicine professor who oversees the program. "Every state is struggling with this – Texas isn’t unique in that way – but there are not enough qualified providers in the state,” she said. “That’s our biggest road block.” (Bauman, 2/27)
The Boston Globe: Who Will Be Guardians For Legions Of ‘Unbefriended’ Elders? A New Initiative Tries To Address An Urgent And Growing Problem In Mass.
The man was adamant. He did not, he insisted, have any family. But while cleaning out his apartment, Mary Kate Egan stumbled on paperwork that clearly showed he had been married and had children. Egan, a case manager at Public Guardian Services, was starting to manage health care decisions for the man, who had been living alone but was no longer capable of handling his own affairs and was moving into a nursing home. (Lazar, 2/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Cerebral To Cut 15% Of Staff In Fresh Round Of Layoffs
Cerebral Inc. is cutting 15% of its workforce, the latest round of layoffs at the telehealth startup. The layoffs are part of Cerebral’s yearlong plan to reorganize the company and focus on the services patients want, a spokesman for the company said Monday. The spokesman didn’t say how many jobs would be cut, or what areas would be affected. The layoffs were earlier reported by Business Insider. (Pisani, 2/27)
Bloomberg: Therapy Startup Headway To Be Valued At $1 Billion-Plus In Round
Mental-health company Headway is expected to be valued at more than $1 billion in a new funding round, according to people familiar with the matter. The New York-based therapy-referral business is in talks to raise about $100 million from Spark Capital, Thrive Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Accel, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. (Roof, 2/28)
On the gun violence epidemic —
AP: Colorado Supermarket Shooting Suspect Has Schizophrenia
Lawyers for a man charged with killing 10 people at a Colorado supermarket in 2021 confirm he has schizophrenia, with one expert finding he was “approaching catatonia” before being moved to the state mental hospital for treatment. The defense information, contained in a court filing earlier this month, provides the clearest picture to date of 23-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa’s mental health. District Attorney Michael Dougherty had mentioned last month that Alissa had been showing symptoms of schizophrenia, a mental disorder which causes people to have trouble understanding reality, but would not elaborate. (Slevin, 2/28)
Also —
The Washington Post: Sen. Fetterman Remains Hospitalized, ‘On Path To Recovery,’ Office Says
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) remains hospitalized nearly two weeks after he checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression, his office said Monday. “We don’t have a lot to update folks with since there’s no real news to report except that John is doing well, working with the wonderful doctors, and remains on a path to recovery,” Fetterman spokesman Joe Calvello said in a statement. “He is visiting with staff and family daily, and his staff are keeping him updated on Senate business and news.” (Wang and Itkowitz, 2/27)
