Articles, Leading Stories
Maine tackles DHHS budget
By Nan Shnitzler
For the past three months, Maine has been grappling with a supplemental budget that cuts $220 million from the Department of Health and Human Services for the current and...
Initiative prompted by rash of suicides
By Pamela Berard
Youth suicide prevention is at the forefront of efforts in two New England states. Connecticut experienced a rash of suicides last fall while a Rhode Island study showed an...
Options for licensure draw mostly positive reviews
By Phyllis Hanlon
Five years ago, the American Psychological Association shifted its thinking regarding licensure requirements. In lieu of the traditional postdoctoral experience, the APA...
Commissioner leaves post
By Janine Weisman
Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Commissioner Barbara Leadholm delivered the bad news to Taunton State Hospital staff Jan. 24: the 169-bed psychiatric facility would...
Maine school engages college community in spotting suicide signs
By Jennifer E Chase
A spate of suicide prevention programs have cropped up on U.S. college and university campuses since the end of 2011, thanks to a nationwide grant from the Substance Abuse and...
New Hampshire charged with violating ADA
By Phyllis Hanlon
In 2008, the Bureau of Behavioral Health within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) analyzed the state’s mental health system and presented its findings and...
Social justice activism a key component of work
By Catherine Robertson Souter
Anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever...
Involuntary outpatient treatment bill on legislative docket
By Phyllis Hanlon
Fourteen years ago, Rep. Kay Khan (D-Newton) filed a bill (H.1419) intended to prevent tragedies because of medication non-compliance and inadequate treatment for mental health...
Flooding impacts VT facilities
By Pamela Berard
Legislature ponders plan
Since flooding from Tropical Storm Irene forced the closure of the 54-bed Vermont State Hospital (VHS) last August, community care facilities...
Cuts to mental health budgets affect New England
By Jennifer E Chase
Massachusetts is worst hit
Of the changes to healthcare budgets across the country since 2009, New England is among the regions most in flux, according to a report...