Report helps hospitals improve behavioral health services

The AHA today unveiled recommendations and successful practices to help community hospital leaders meet the growing demand for behavioral health services in the face of inadequate funding. Developed by an AHA task force, the report provides strategies in the areas of community needs assessment, behavioral health planning, community collaboration, adequate financing, employer practices and advocacy. “Patients coming into the hospital with physical illness such as heart failure and cancer may also face behavioral health disorders,” said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock. “While we do a good job of treating the physical illness, oftentimes we don’t adequately address the behavioral health issues that may go hand-in-hand with these conditions.” Almost one in four adult community hospital stays in 2004 involved a mental health or substance abuse-related disorder.