The Hill (1/17, Sforza ) reports that on Wednesday, the Department of Veterans Affairs “announced…that 49,714 veterans and former service members took advantage of a new benefit that allowed them to go to any VA or non-VA health facility to get free emergency care if they were experiencing an acute suicidal crisis.”

The VA “said the benefit not only offered potentially life-saving health care, it saved more than $64 million in health care costs.” Additionally, “the department said the new policy allowed those experiencing a suicidal crisis to get necessary care, including emergency room visits, up to 30 days of inpatient or crisis residential care, up to 90 days of outpatient care and transportation costs.”

Related Links:

— “VA says nearly 50K veterans used emergency suicide prevention program in its first year,” Lauren Sforza, The Hill, January 17, 2024

Psychiatric News (1/17) reports, “An individual’s personal income appears to play a role in the amount of time between the onset of psychosis and receipt of services to treat first-episode psychosis…suggests a study.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “data from patients enrolled in two first-episode treatment programs—the Program for Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis…in New Haven, Conn., and the Prevention and Recovery in Early Psychosis…in Boston.” The findings were published in Psychiatric Services. “Lower personal income was significantly associated with younger age, fewer years of education, Black race, and longer Duration of Untreated Psychosis (DUP). Personal income predicted DUP beyond the effects of age, race, and early psychosis detection.”

Related Links:

— “Lower Income Associated With Greater Treatment Delays for People With First-Episode Psychosis,” Psychiatric News, January 17, 2024

The Washington Post (1/17, Meckler , Natanson ) reports, “In the year following George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the number of school resource officers fell as districts responded to calls for limits on police, according to data released…by the U.S. Education Department.” Additionally, “the report found that the overwhelming majority of schools increased social and emotional supports for students affected by the coronavirus, but fewer schools provided treatment and diagnosis of mental health disorders.” The new report examined “the state of safety and security on campuses in 2021-22.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

HealthDay (1/16, Thompson ) reports there is “no link at all between weed use and a person’s use of illicit opioids, one way or the other, a new review concludes.” The research found that cannabis is not “a gateway drug that can spark a person’s desire to try narcotics.” The study also found marijuana is not “effective in helping wean” people with substance use disorder off opioids. The findings were published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse.

Related Links:

— “Marijuana Has No Role in Taking Up or Quitting Opioids: Study,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, January 16, 2024

mHealth Intelligence (1/16, Vaidya ) reports, “Though telehealth can help expand mental healthcare access, United States counties where mental health resources are low tend to also lack broadband internet access, hampering telehealth use, according to recent research.”

The study found that “US counties with low broadband access had reduced densities of mental health services, with an average of 3.63 mental healthcare physicians, 2.86 non-physician mental health practitioners, 1.33 psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, 0.94 inpatient psychiatric and substance abuse treatment facilities, and 11.28 outpatient facilities available per 100,000 members of the population.” The findings were published in Nature Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Counties with Urgent Mental Healthcare Needs Face Telehealth Barriers,” Anuja Vaidya, mHealth Intelligence, January 16, 2024