Published on Alliance1 (http://www.alliance1.org)
Washington Insider: Behavioral Health
Psychotropic Meds Guidance for Community Serving Agencies
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has created a Guide for Community Child Serving Agencies on Psychotropic Medications for Children and Adolescents. Child serving agencies from child welfare, education, juvenile justice, substance abuse, and developmental disabilities were consulted while developing the recommendations. … more
Foster Youth are Given Powerful Antipsychotic Meds at Higher Rates
A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics found that youth in foster care are prescribed antipsychotic drugs at higher rates than youth who qualify for Medicaid because of disability or low-income status. Researchers found that foster youth took more than one psychotropic drug at a time and for longer periods than other youth. … more
Landmark Foster Care Settlement
A class action lawsuit, Katie A. v. Bonta, that started in California in 2002 has finally reached a settlement. It outlines a comprehensive reform strategy for the state and attempts to cure an overarching problem facing many states: the difficulty of aligning mental health services with the child welfare system.
Mental health and child welfare often work in silos, despite the fact that, according to the complaint, up to 85 percent of foster children have mental health needs. The class action suit was brought against the state of California for failure to assess and treat mental health needs of children who were either in foster care or at imminent risk of coming into care. … more
Mental Health Parity Regulations Released
The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury today (Jan. 29) jointly issued new interim regulations covering parity for consumers enrolled in group health plans who need treatment for mental health or substance use disorders. The rules will be open to comment through May 3. … more
Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Health Care Reform
The several versions of health reform legislation currently being considered in Congress differ widely in their provisions on mental health and substance abuse (MH/SA) treatment. The Coalition for Whole Health has compiled a side-by-side chart comparing the key mental health and substance abuse provisions in these health reform bills. The most important provisions include:
Mental Health and Addiction Treatment
All proposals include mental health and addiction treatment in the minimum benefit package.
Wellstone-Domenici mental health parity law
All proposals require all insurance plans to comply to the requirements of the Wellstone-Domenici mental health parity law. … more
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About the Author
Cecilia Fiermonte is director of child welfare policy at the Alliance. An attorney, she previously was assistant director at the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, advocating for policy change and providing training and technical assistance.
She also previously:
- Supervised the child welfare program of the County Attorney's Office in Wyoming County, N.Y.
- Worked in research and evaluation at the Quality Improvement Center on the Representation of Children
- Represented children in family court matters ... more
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