When it comes to talking to patients about mental healthcare, clinicians don't have to go it alone. The Joint Commission launched a patient safety campaign May 17, a new part of its "Speak Up" program, to help healthcare professionals teach patients to advocate for themselves. 

Yakima, Wash.-based behavioral health provider Comprehensive Healthcare is closing two of its facilities in Goldendale and White Salmon, Columbia Community Connection reported May 16.

Walgreens settled an opioid lawsuit with the city of San Francisco for nearly $230 million, the largest award to a local jurisdiction against an opioid defendant, The Washington Post reported May 18.

As a psychiatrist and the chief medical officer of Acadia Healthcare, I am passionate about attracting more clinicians to the field of behavioral healthcare to support the increasing need for treatment. The growing demand for mental healthcare is undeniable, and we must provide greater support for clinicians and make psychiatry an appealing field of medicine.

The United Soccer League has launched a mental health platform focused on raising awareness on the importance of mental health within the communities where the league plays.

California plans to invest $23.3 million to support students who are going to school to become substance use disorder counselors through its Earn and Learn Training Program. 

An employee of Northville Township, Mich.-based Hawthorn Center, a psychiatric children's hospital, is suing the state-run facility after being instructed to portray an active shooter in an unannounced drill held Dec. 21, NBC affiliate WDIV reported May 17.

The Biden administration rolled out critical actions on national mental health May 18 in recognition of Mental Health Day of Action.

Detroit-based Henry Ford Health has reduced its patient suicide rate by over 70 percent through its Zero Suicide collaborative care program, MLive reported May 18. 

Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare bucked industrywide staffing trends and improved its recruiting and retention in the first quarter of 2023, according to an April 27 earnings call transcribed by Seeking Alpha.

Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health is opening a behavioral health hospital in Holyoke, MassLive reported May 17.

Provider shortages in healthcare have been widely reported, and the problem appears particularly acute in behavioral health — but private payers could be partially to blame, one expert says.

Widespread provider shortages are posing problems for healthcare organizations nationwide, but poor training and sagging work ethic among some new clinicians may be compounding the issue.

Owensboro, Ky.-based RiverValley Behavioral Health plans to open an addiction recovery center specifically for men this month, The Ohio County Monitor reported May 16. 

Kevin Andrews has been named the next COO of Palm Springs, Fla.-based Retreat Behavioral Health.

The Housing Authority of Cook County in Illinois has placed behavioral health workers in 10 public housing communities, Fox 32 reported May 17. 

University of California San Francisco Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland (Calif.) has recently opened a standalone outpatient building offering mental health services. 

The Department of Health and Human Services has pledged over $200 million in funding to support 988 suicide crisis hotlines and crisis support services. 

Twenty-nine percent of Americans have been clinically depressed at some point in their lifetime, and 17.8 percent are currently either suffering from or being treated for depression, according to Gallup. Both figures are new highs.

Officials in Michigan's Macomb County are proposing a behavioral health-focused $228 million central intake center for the county jail complex, the Detroit Free Press reported May 12.