The Florida Department of Health issued guidance July 24 recommending that healthcare providers avoid prescribing psychotropic medications to children ages 5-17 for mental health conditions including depression, anxiety and attention-deficit related disorders. The guidance comes as HHS outlined an action plan…
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Plano, Texas-based Oceans Healthcare opened Oceans Behavioral Hospital of Greater New Orleans — Kenner West in Kenner, La. The campus occupies the facility previously operated as Perimeter Behavioral Hospital of New Orleans. The campus provides inpatient behavioral healthcare services for…
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente committed $10 million to expand the Youth Mental Health Corps, a national initiative that connects teenagers with young adult peers who provide mental health and navigation support. The funding aims to increase access to mental health…
Universal Health Services executives said the company’s pending acquisition of Talkspace will help remove two of the biggest obstacles to growing its outpatient behavioral health business, giving the King of Prussia, Pa.-based health system a virtual care option and a…
Hospitals and health systems are increasingly turning to telehealth to expand behavioral healthcare services as they contend with workforce shortages, rising demand and barriers to care. During a July 14 panel at the American Hospital Association Leadership Summit in Denver,…
The Trump administration has stepped up enforcement of federal hospital price transparency rules, sending warning letters and corrective action requests to hundreds of hospitals nationwide, including three behavioral health facilities in the Chicago suburbs, the Chicago Tribune reported July 27. …
In 2026, five states enacted laws restricting AI therapy chatbots, joining Illinois and Nevada, which adopted similar measures last year, according to the Transparency Coalition’s 2026 Mid-Year State AI Legislation Report. The bans largely rely on states’ authority to license…
Louisa, Ky.-based Addiction Recovery Care and affiliates Pioneer Health Group and Science Hill Family Care agreed to a $16.2 million civil judgment to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to the Kentucky Medicaid program,…
Illicit drug use increased between 2021 and 2025, rising from 22.2% (62 million people) to 24% (69.8 million), according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2025 Companion Infographic Report. The findings are based on the 2021-2025 National…
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration imposed an immediate moratorium on admissions at Peace River Center for Personal Development’s crisis stabilization unit in Bartow, Fla., after determining conditions at the facility presented a threat to patients, according to a…