Pathways to reform in Michigan: A review of diversion, deflection, and reentry programs in Washtenaw County
The U.S. Department of Justice’s 2017 report revealed alarming rates of mental health disorders among jail inmates, with 44 percent receiving such diagnoses. Local data from Washtenaw County’s jail showed 20 percent with serious mental illness and 25 percent with substance use disorders. Despite this prevalence, jails lack resources to meet inmates’ mental health needs, potentially worsened by discriminatory practices, …
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CHRT staff in Health Affairs on strengthening public health through collaboration with primary care
In a recent Health Affairs Forefront piece, Strengthening public health through collaboration with primary care: lessons from the states, CHRT’s Nancy Baum and Samantha Iovan share key findings from research across four states: North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. These four states were selected based on the authors’ previous research, which identified these states as innovators in their work …
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Strengthening public health through integration with primary care
State and local leaders across the country are taking innovative steps to strengthen public health through integration with primary care. Public health agencies at the state and local levels have long faced challenges such as chronic underfunding, rigid funding streams, outdated and disconnected data systems, fragmented care delivery structures, and workforce shortages. Partnerships between medical care systems, community-based organizations, and …
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Organizations’ perspectives on successful aging with long-term physical disability
CHRT staff Marissa Rurka and Melissa Riba of the Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT), recently published a study in the peer-reviewed journal, Disabilities, on Organizations’ perspectives on successful aging with long-term physical disability. To best serve those aging with physical disabilities, organizations must understand what successful aging means for this population. From October 2021 to May 2022, 128 …
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Supporting behavioral health providers in public health emergencies
Support for behavioral health care providers is crucial, especially considering the significant stress and burnout they have experienced prior to and during the pandemic. To understand how to better support behavioral health care providers during public health emergencies, this study explores three topics. Burnout While the literature is limited, studies suggests that burnout can affect physical and mental health for many …
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The value of community health workers in extending the behavioral health workforce
Prior studies suggest that Community Health Workers (CHWs) add significant value in healthcare settings. CHWs can improve physical health outcomes and lower health care costs for their patients, but there is limited research on the roles CHWs fill in behavioral health care. Trusted frontline health workers, CHWs often live in or come from the communities they serve. Importantly, they support hard-to-engage …
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Housing crisis is magnified for people with physical disabilities. Here’s how we can help.
The U.S. housing crisis is worse for people with physical disabilities for two reasons. First, affordable housing is a challenge because people with physical disabilities are twice as likely to be low income. Second, accessibility is a challenge because significant and costly renovations are often required for people with physical disabilities. Those with physical disabilities are disproportionately impacted by the …
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Funding community paramedicine is an ongoing challenge, in spite of value and savings
Community paramedicine (CP) programs fill significant treatment gaps between primary care providers and emergency care providers. First, CP programs treat clients in the most appropriate settings. Second, CP programs divert patients from emergency departments when appropriate. Finally, CP programs connect clients with needed social services. But funding community paramedicine is an ongoing challenge. For patients, CP programs offer convenient treatment. …
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Telehealth for people with disabilities: here are the challenges and opportunities policymakers should consider
Telehealth was a lifeline for people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal and state policy changes allowed clinics, health systems, and providers to expand telehealth services, which benefitted people with disabilities. People with disabilities, approximately one in every four Americans, are six times more likely to have ten or more physician visits and five times more likely to be admitted …
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Physicians screen patients for social needs: what happens next? Survey, analysis, and policy recommendations
Increasingly, physicians are screening patients for social needs then connecting patients to local organizations that can provide the required services. In Michigan, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provided funding to policymakers to launch new projects and partnerships to encourage physicians to screen for social needs like food and housing insecurity. The state also supported pilots that connected …
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