Nationwide protests over police accountability and racial justice have reenergized longstanding efforts to fundamentally change how police departments respond to someone in a mental health emergency. Many are calling for removing or dramatically reducing law enforcement’s role in responding to those crisis calls unless absolutely necessary. Since 2015, nearly a quarter of all people killed by police officers in America have […]
‘Structural violence’ is the term given to forces such as poverty, racism, inequality and discrimination which necessarily have an influence on people’s health including their mental health. These factors not only affect patterns of susceptibility and exposure but can also limit the effectiveness of health care systems and reduce access to services, especially among the poor. Both […]
SAN LUIS OBISPO — San Luis Obispo County Public Health’s weekly COVID-19 update included information about suicide prevention. September is nationally recognized as Suicide Prevention Month. There were 49 suicides recorded in San Luis Obispo County in 2019. San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health Department Suicide Prevention Coordinator Alysia Hendry and Clinical Director of Transitions-Mental […]
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Buffalo Common Councilmember is calling for collaboration to address mental health and drug abuse disorders following a recent police shooting. Buffalo Common Councilmember Christopher P. Scanlon filed a resolution Friday which directs council staff to create a detailed list of agencies and nonprofits in Erie County that address mental health, substance […]
A law passed last year aimed at boosting mental health services and awareness at Illinois’ public universities and community colleges still hasn’t received any of the funding schools say they need to bring the law to life. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, mental health advocates say the money is crucial to helping colleges address gaps […]
Bureau County has been working on an outreach initiative geared toward reducing the number of people with mental illness being taken to jail. The county was approved for a $300,000 grant last September that allowed for the creation of crisis intervention teams to assist law enforcement during interactions with people who have criminal backgrounds involving […]
New Britain — Tianna Laboy spent nearly 30 days at an inpatient mental health treatment program before she was admitted to York Correctional Institution in August 2017. When she arrived at the Niantic prison, officials put her in the mental health infirmary. New filings in her civil lawsuit allege that her placement there “guaranteed she would be […]
