Access to Behavioral Health
AHA Letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders on Mental Health Bill.
Every day, hospitals see the devastating effects of the U.S. opioid epidemic. While prescription opioids can be a safe and necessary part of pain management, these drugs also carry serious risks of harm because of the potential for addiction, misuse, overdose and death.
Read the full advisory…
This AHA report provides a review of the current state for the behavioral health workforce, outlines a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that hospitals and health systems are facing and possible new ways to build future capacity.
Update on Key Issues in the Behavioral Health Care Field: June 2016
AHA letter to the Department of Health and Human Services regarding medication-assisted treatment for opiod user disorders.
Community Hospital of Monterey (Calif.) Peninsula (CHOMP), part of Montage Health, took action two years ago to address the prescription opioid abuse crisis in its county of some 415,000 residents. The community-wide effort, called Prescribe Safe, has led to a sharp decline in the number of…
Hospitalizations for opioid abuse/dependence increased 72% between 2002 and 2012 to an estimated 520,275 per year, while hospitalizations for opioid-associated infections rose 91% to 6,535, according to a study published today in Health Affairs. Intravenous administration of opioids and heroin…
AHA letter to Representatives Fred Upton and Frank Pallone, Jr. expressing views regarding opioid legislation pending before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.