Bloomberg Law (5/3, Subscription Publication) reports HHS “awarded nearly $25 million to improve access to school-based health services, according to the department.” These “awards will support 125 health centers funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration” that “deliver primary health-care services, including comprehensive physical and mental health care, to individuals and families through school-based sites.”

Related Links:

— “HHS Awards Nearly $25 Million to School-Based Health Centers, Bloomberg Law, May 3, 2022

PatientEngagementHIT (5/2, Heath) reports the US “is still seeing the impacts of redlining and other forms of systemic racism, with recent data showing that redlining has resulted in present-day limits on patient access to mental healthcare,” according to research published in JAMA Network Open. The data “found that redlining caused nearly a 20-fold disparity in the mental healthcare workforce in Greensboro, North Carolina,” while “the mental healthcare workforce disparity was six-fold” in Richmond, Virginia. In both of these “communities, mental healthcare [professionals] were more densely located in neighborhoods historically deemed ‘favorable.’”

Related Links:

— “How Systemic Racism Impacts Patient Access to Mental Healthcare ” Sara Heath, PatientEngagementHIT , May 2, 2022

CNN (5/2, Hunt) reports research indicates that “around seven hours of sleep is the ideal night’s rest, with insufficient and excessive sleep associated with a reduced ability to pay attention, remember and learn new things, solve problems and make decisions,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from almost 500,000 adults ages 38 to 73 who were part of the UK Biobank – a long-term, government-backed health study. Participants were asked about their sleep patterns, mental health and well-being, and took part in a series of cognitive tests.” The study also revealed that “seven hours of slumber was…linked with better mental health, with people experiencing more symptoms of anxiety and depression and worse overall well-being if they reported sleeping for longer or shorter stints.” The findings (PDF) were published online in the journal Nature Aging.

Related Links:

— “Scientists say they have nailed down the ideal amount of sleep in middle and old age “Katie Hunt, CNN, May 2, 2022

Medscape (5/2, Osorio, Subscription Publication) reports, “Black patients presenting with psychiatric disorders to hospital emergency departments (EDs) across the US have significantly higher rates of chemical restraint than their white counterparts,” investigators concluded. After evaluating “76.2 million total ED visits,” the study team “found that Black patients presenting with a psychiatric disorder were significantly more likely to receive chemical sedation with antipsychotics or ketamine than white patients presenting with the same conditions.” The findings were published in the May issue of the Annals of Epidemiology. Speaking to Medscape Medical News, “Regina James, MD, the American Psychiatric Association’s chief of Diversity and Health Equity and deputy medical director, said the large-scale study confirms the widespread existence of racial and ethnic disparities in patients with psychiatric disorders.”

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Psychiatric News (4/29) reported, “People who are homosexual, bisexual, or unsure of their sexual orientation are more likely than their heterosexual peers to have symptoms of an eating disorder,” researchers concluded in a study that “examined data from approximately 36,000 adults who participated in the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III.” The study also revealed “differences in symptoms between men and women in this population.” The findings were published online April 25 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Symptoms of Eating Disorders More Common in Members of Sexual Minorities, Psychiatric News, April 29, 2022