Becker’s Behavioral Health

Behavioral health faces a range of challenges — and top among them is access. Patients can linger on appointment waitlists for months or be caught in a referral backlog. During the limbo, patient conditions can worsen, driving them to seek…

Regence Blue Shield was fined $550,000 by Washington state regulators for failing to show its behavioral health coverage complies with mental health parity laws.  The Office of the Insurance Commissioner said Regence did not submit required documentation demonstrating that behavioral…

Nearly 70% of Medicaid enrollees diagnosed with an opioid use disorder did not receive appropriate medications — such as buprenorphine, methadone or naltrexone — within 180 days of diagnosis, according to a study published Nov. 23 in The American Journal…

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Corewell Health has opened West Michigan’s first trauma recovery center, which will offer free mental health services to survivors of violent crime.  The center, located in the Corewell Health Community Medicine Clinic in Grand Rapids, provides mental…

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is investing up to $100 million to improve mental and behavioral healthcare through its Evidence-Based Validation and Innovation for Rapid Therapeutics in Behavioral Health (EVIDENT) initiative.  The initiative will focus on developing more…

New York City-based Montefiore Einstein has completed a 21-bed inpatient pediatric mental health center in the Bronx, scheduled to open to patients Dec. 15. The Montefiore Einstein Center for Children’s Mental Health of the Children’s Hospital will serve youths ages…

Aetna launched a neurodiversity navigation program for select employer-sponsored commercial plans and will serve members starting Jan. 1. The platform is designed to support neurodivergent members and their families through one-on-one coaching, care navigation, training and digital tools, according to…

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has launched a Continuum of Care funding competition for fiscal year 2025, introducing what officials described as “the most significant policy reforms in the program’s history.”  The policy shift redirects support for permanent…

AdventHealth DeLand (Fla.) will develop an opioid use disorder recovery program using a $500,000 grant from the Volusia County Opioid Abatement Program.  The initiative, called RISE — Recovery, Initiative, Support and Education — will be operated by AdventHealth DeLand as…

St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, part of Clearwater, Fla.-based BayCare, has been designated as one of Florida’s behavioral health teaching hospitals.  The state designation renames the facility BayCare Behavioral Health Teaching Hospital at St. Joseph’s and reflects BayCare’s commitment to…