Opioid Crisis Creating Access Issues in Different Areas of Behavioral Health

While opioid addiction dates back several decades, the phenomena only evolved into an epidemic in recent years. Since 2000, opioid overdose deaths have increased by about 200%, according to the American Association of Addiction Psychiatry. And in 2017 alone, nearly 48,000 people died from opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]

Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Workers Delay Strike After Death of CEO

Thousands of Kaiser Permanente mental health workers will delay their strike after the sudden death of the company’s CEO. CEO Bernard Tyson died Sunday, just one day before 4,000 psychologists, mental health therapists and other employees belonging to the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW) were supposed to go on strike over concerns regarding patient […]

Government Must Provide Mental Health Services for Migrant Families

The federal government must provide mental health services to thousands of migrant parents and children who were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, a federal judge in California ruled Tuesday. The move underscores the importance of and the growing federal commitment to providing mental health treatment to those who need it.  Per the rule, those services […]

Acadia Falls Short of Analysts’ Estimates in Q3

Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) posted mixed results in the third quarter of 2019, with revenue up slightly and income down year-over-year. Overall, the Franklin, Tennessee-based company fell short of analysts’ estimates. In Q3 2019, revenues rose to $777.3 million compared to $760.9 million for the same period a year earlier. Analysts had predicted revenue of […]

Mental Health America of Roanoke Valley closes

Mental Health America of Roanoke Valley has closed after more than 70 years in business, according to The Roanoke Times. It ceased operations on Oct. 31.  The Virginia organization did advocacy for people with mental illnesses, in addition to offering mental health services such as free psychiatric clinic, mental health training for police officers and […]

D.C. Medicaid Program Granted First IMD Waiver Specifically for Mental Health

A first-of-its-kind Medicaid demonstration project aimed to improve care for beneficiaries with serious mental illness (SMI) and/or serious emotional disturbance (SED) has been approved in Washington, D.C. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the approval of D.C.’s Section 1115 Medicaid waiver Wednesday. It quite literally waives federal rules that typically prevent Medicaid […]

Four Arkansas Behavioral Health Providers Plan Merger 

Four behavioral health providers in Arkansas have announced plans to merge and form one integrated behavioral health system. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The new non-profit, Arisa Health, will be headquartered in Springdale and have 49 locations in 41 counties in the northern half of the state. Counseling Associates, Mid-South Health Systems, […]

Blue Cross Blue Shield Parent Company Sued Over Stringent Behavioral Health Guidelines

The parent company of Blue Cross Blue Shield plan providers in five states is being sued over allegations that it’s been denying behavioral health benefits to members due to overly restrictive guidelines, according to Law360. The federal lawsuit seeking class action status was filed late last month against Chicago-based Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC). The […]

HonorHealth, Universal Health Services Partner to Build New Behavioral Health Hospital

HonorHealth and Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE: UHS) have signed an agreement to open a new behavioral health hospital in the greater Phoenix area. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. HonorHealth is a nonprofit health system serving about 1.6 million people in and around Phoenix. It has five acute-care hospitals, multiple outpatient surgery […]

Florida Behavioral Health Center Closes Abruptly Following Financial Problems

A psychiatric hospital in southeast Florida serving low-income and uninsured patients abruptly shut its doors earlier this month, according to The Palm Beach Post. The move potentially leaves hundreds of patients without access to care. The West Palm Beach-based Jerome Golden Center for Behavioral Health closed Oct. 18 following financial troubles — specifically a bankruptcy […]