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,…
Government & Regulation
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. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the selections Feb. 2, according to a…
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…
Nearly one-third of physicians enrolled in Medicaid don’t treat patients covered by the program, according to a study published Feb. 2 in Health Affairs. A team led by researchers at Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University analyzed physician enrollment files…
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2026 State of the State address included a sweeping set of proposals that could reshape New York’s youth behavioral health landscape, from workforce training and crisis response to community-based substance use recovery. Here are six things to…
A bill before the Maine Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee would establish an emergency rate increase and a stabilization fund for children’s residential care facilities. The legislation would issue $1 million to a sustainability fund aimed at stabilizing children’s…
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a $100 million federal initiative to address homelessness, opioid addiction and public safety following President Donald Trump’s executive order creating the Great American Recovery Initiative. The Safety Through Recovery, Engagement and Evidence-based Treatment…
Michigan has canceled its request for proposal to restructure the state’s Medicaid-funded behavioral health system, halting a planned overhaul that would have shifted management of $4.9 billion in services, Bridge Michigan reported Jan. 30. The cancellation, posted Jan. 29 on…
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Jan. 29 establishing the Great American Recovery Initiative, a coordinated federal effort to address addiction in the U.S. The initiative aims to streamline government programs, integrate evidence-based care and improve access to treatment…
HHS has appointed 21 new members to its Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. The appointments reflect HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s focus on aligning national autism policy with what he described as “gold-standard science,” according to a Jan. 28 news…
