New Center for Integrated Behavioral Health Policy Chartered
WASHINGTON — The George Washington University Medical Center has chartered a new Center for Integrated Behavioral Health Policy, which is dedicated to changing the way that people with mental health and substance use disorders get the help they need.
“Health reform is among this nation’s most pressing problems, said Ruth J. Katz, JD, MPH, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Services. “This new center will make a valuable contribution to this debate by helping to design a system that both recognizes and includes the needs of millions of Americans suffering from mental illness, substance use disorders and addiction.”
The Center will work with employers and public health care purchasers, health plans, physicians and other health care providers, and government leaders to create policies and practices that integrate behavioral and physical health.
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Veterans' Behavioral Health Overview
Since soldiers fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom began to return, there has been a call-to-action to improve the government's role in helping veterans cope with behavioral health problems. There are current efforts by the Department of Defense (DoD), Veteran's Affairs (DVA), and various non-profit interest organizations to address the inadequacies of behavioral health services to veterans. The challenges include, reducing the stigma associated with mental health and substance issues, implementing relevant screening measures, and improving access to care.
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Many Health Plans Will Now Pay for Substance Use Screening and Brief Intervention
Responses to eValue8™, an annual survey of American health plans conducted by the National Business Coalition on Health, indicate that 58 percent of the 150 plans surveyed will pay for substance use screening and brief intervention services (SBI). In addition, the Office of Personnel Management recently announced that the 5.6 million employees with Federal health insurance will also be covered for SBI services.
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Depression and Alcohol Screening May Benefit Employers
Depression, one of the leading causes of disability in the U.S., has a debilitating effect on U.S companies which lose upwards of $44 billion per year due to employee depression. Because more than 57 percent of adults who experienced a major depressive episode in 2004 also used alcohol, addressing these issues when they appear as dual disorders may greatly benefit many U.S. workplaces.
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