Behavioral Health News

The city of New York has filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Alphabet, Snap and TikTok owner ByteDance, alleging the social media companies have contributed to the youth mental health crisis, The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 14.

The Florida State Senate moved forward with a plan Feb. 13 that would designate $114 million to behavioral health teaching hospitals across the state, PBS affiliate WUFT reported Feb. 15.

Proposed legislation would designate four behavioral health teaching hospitals in Florida, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported Feb. 14. 

Here are five new behavioral health projects and programs that Becker's has reported on so far in February:

A program administrator for a Washington, D.C.-based mental health services provider was sentenced to five years in prison for a Medicaid fraud scheme.  

WellSpan Health has formed a partnership with virtual care company KeyCare to expand into virtual behavioral health and primary care services.

New Jersey seized $6.4 million in assets from the estate of the deceased owner of several mental health clinics who allegedly submitted thousands of false claims to Medicaid. 

Although outpatient mental health visits on the whole have increased post-pandemic, participation in in-person and audio or video-based mental healthcare varies across sociodemographic groups, according to a study from the New York City-based Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health…

Research out of Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore could pave the way for a blood test for disease-associated changes in the brain, such as psychiatric and neurological disorders.

The commissioners court of Hays County in Texas has approved a new behavioral health program focused on mental health and substance use needs throughout the county.