LA County Pauses Its Plan To Expand Criteria For Forced Medical Detention
The push to allow more people to be detained against their will by police, crisis teams, and mental health providers is being paused for a confounding reason: The size of the ongoing public crises means that if Senate Bill 43 is implemented, the influx of patients could swamp providers.
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. County Delays New Criteria For Gravely Disabled
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to delay the implementation of Senate Bill 43, the landmark legislation that expands the criteria by which people can be detained against their wills by police, crisis teams and mental health providers. ... According to the motion, the size of the crisis presents logistical problems for counties responsible for administering involuntary holds that proceed conservatorship hearings. Adding severe substance use disorder to the definition of gravely disabled could lead to a 10% increase of those involuntarily detained. (Curwen, 12/19)
The Washington Post:
New York To Study Reparations For Descendants Of Enslaved People
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed a bill Tuesday to create a commission that will consider reparations for the descendants of enslaved people, following in the footsteps of California and Illinois, which have similar task forces. ... The measure authorizes a commission to examine the history of slavery and its legacy, the scale of the slave trade in the United States and the treatment of enslaved people. It will also investigate the extent to which the federal and state governments supported slavery, the effects of discrimination against Black people after 1865, and the negative impacts of slavery on “living people of African descent.” (Jeong, 12/20)
North Carolina Health News:
Consolidation To Reshape Mental Health System
Two state-funded businesses that manage behavioral health services for low-income residents say they will consolidate to create a single organization to serve 46 counties across eastern North Carolina. Trillium Health Resources will take control of Eastpointe Human Services under the agreement, which was signed Saturday by the companies’ CEOs. The arrangement will reshape the state’s managed care system for providing care to Medicaid participants with mental health needs, substance use disorders and intellectual or developmental disabilities. (Baxley, 12/20)
The Boston Globe:
R.I. Health Insurer Raising Early Intervention Rates As Hundreds Of Infants And Toddlers Wait For Services
With more than 700 children under the age of 3 waiting longer than the legal amount of time for Early Intervention services, the largest private insurer in Rhode Island will increase how much it pays for the services without waiting for a potential mandate to do so from the General Assembly next year. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island notified providers this month that the insurer will raise its reimbursement rates for Early Intervention on Feb. 1, adopting the recommendations made by the R.I. Office of Health Insurance Commissioner, or OHIC, earlier this year. (Machado, 12/19)
CBS News:
Baltimore County Public Schools To Provide Free Telehealth Therapy To High School Students
Baltimore County Public Schools announced a new partnership with the behavioral health care company Talkspace, in order to provide free unlimited telehealth therapy to high school students ages 13 and above. "BCPS is committed to the academic success and to the physical, social, and emotional well-being of all our students," BCPS Superintendent Dr. Myriam Yarbrough said. (Olaniran, 12/19)
