Author: Ella Ruder

The suicide rate per 100,000 veterans increased in 2023, rising from 13.7 to 13.9 for women and from 37.3 to 37.8 for men, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs’ “National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.”  The report, published Feb.…

Malden, Mass.-based Tufts Medicine Behavioral Health Hospital held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Feb. 6 to mark the upcoming opening of a 144-bed behavioral health hospital.  The hospital will be operated through a joint venture between Burlington, Mass.-based Tufts Medicine and Franklin,…

Williamsburg, Va.-based Colonial Behavioral Health plans to expand access to mental health and primary care services through a new integrated healthcare campus, NBC affiliate WAVY reported Feb. 6.  The planned facility will aim to bring behavioral health, primary care, dental…

Behavioral health and substance use navigators are filling a longstanding gap in the continuum for health systems: connecting patients to aftercare. When behavioral health patients are discharged from the emergency department, ensuring they remain engaged with services can be a…

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein has signed an executive order that aims to improve behavioral healthcare and public safety in the state.  The order directs several cabinet agencies to strengthen coordination between North Carolina’s behavioral health and criminal justice systems,…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has selected nine pilot programs to test health IT standards aimed at strengthening behavioral and physical health integration through improved data exchange. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the selections Feb.…

A study published Jan. 27 in Mental Health Research found an AI model predicted substance use disorder defining behaviors with up to 83% accuracy and addiction severity with up to 84%. University of Cincinnati researchers Sumra Bari, PhD, the study’s…

Detroit-based Henry Ford Health has transferred its Madison Heights hospital to Warren, Mich.-based Trillium Health Care Management, which plans to convert the site into an inpatient behavioral health facility.  Trillium will assume ownership of the facility and begin renovations to…

A county-funded, $27.6 million inpatient psychiatric facility in Oceanside, Calif., has begun operations after providing short-term care to 31 patients.  The 16-bed unit started admitting patients Dec. 29 following staff training in November, according to a Feb. 5 news release…

New Hyde Park, NY.-based Northwell Health’s Stephanie Fitzpatrick, PhD, was elected a fellow of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, a scientific organization in the field of behavioral medicine.  Dr. Fitzpatrick is a clinical health psychologist, behavioral medicine researcher and…