Category: Mental illness and substance abuse
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Bhattacharya Case Dismissed
by James A. Bacon A federal judge has dismissed a case against the University of Virginia by a medical student who charged that university officials had retaliated against him for disputing the speaker’s logic in a panel discussion about microaggressions. The plaintiff, Kieren Bhattacharya, “has nothing more than speculation to support his claim,” wrote Judge…
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Marcus Alerts in Virginia and Risks to Unarmed Responders
by James C. Sherlock The Marcus Alert is named after Marcus-David Peters, a teacher killed by Richmond police in 2018 amid a mental health crisis. The Marcus Alert system requires coordination between 911 and regional crisis call centers and establishes a specialized behavioral health response from a combination of behavioral health professionals and law enforcement…
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Thinking About Gun Control
by Bill O’Keefe After each mass shooting there is an outcry for Congress to do something. In 2021, there were almost 21,000 murders involving guns and almost 700 mass shootings (those involving four or more victims). There has been no responsible action at the Federal level because Congress seems more interested in political food fights…
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Medicaid, Public Health and Chronic Disease Management
by James C. Sherlock From the CDC: Chronic diseases have significant health and economic costs in the United States. Preventing chronic diseases, or managing symptoms when prevention is not possible, can reduce these costs. Virginia pays a great deal of money every year to contractors who manage the care of its Medicaid population. It is…
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A Lot of Unanswered Questions
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Painting racial slurs on the face of an unconscious Black teenage boy is wrong. That being said, a recent incident in the Richmond area leads to a lot of questions, including concerning the quality of reporting done by the Richmond Times-Dispatch. According to an RTD on-line story Friday by reporter Mark Bowes,…
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The Mental Anguish Veto
by James A. Bacon As the debate over de-platforming former Vice President Mike Pence plays out in the pages of the University of Virginia student newspaper, a recent column illuminates, albeit unwitting, the complex interplay between mental illness, sexual orientation, fragility, and intolerance toward views people find uncomfortable. Mental illness is rampant in American society…
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When COVID Hysteria Meets Safetyism
by James A. Bacon The percentage of Northern Virginia’s adult population grappling with anxiety and depression more than tripled during the COVID-19 epidemic — from 8% to 28% — according to data published by the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia. The percentage peaked at 39% in February 2020, affecting 755,000 individuals, but abated to 545,000…
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The State Budget: The House Reductions to Cover Tax Cuts
Budget is policy. A budget reflects what an organization chooses to spend its money on. The differences between the versions of the 2022-2024 biennial budget passed by the House and Senate this year are starker than they have been in recent memory. There are major philosophical and policy differences that the conferees will need to…
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Nineteen Millionth Nervous Breakdown
by James A. Bacon Two dozen students occupied the central lobby of James Madison University’s Alumnae Hall for 90 minutes last week. The group issued a list of demands, the most notable of which was increased funding and staff for the Counseling Center. Protest leaders read from some 50 testimonies submitted by students, reports the…
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Littel Pick as Health Secretary Signals Youngkin’s Approach to Healthcare Reform
by James A. Bacon Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin has appointed a new Secretary of Health & Human Resources to lead the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic and also to pursue long-term reforms in mental health and healthcare. Youngkin’s pick, John Littel, is a Virginia Beach resident and recent president of Magellan of Virginia and chief external…
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Chronic Complainers Notch Big Win Against Landlords
by James A. Bacon Whether you agree or disagree with Attorney General Mark Herring’s position on the case, a dispute between an unnamed individual with mental health issues and her Manassas landlords, Gia and Ernest Hairston, makes a fascinating case study. In a press release, Herring touts the outcome — the landlords paying the tenant…
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To Get Respect, Show Respect
by Dick Hall-Sizemore There are frequent posts on this blog citing the low morale of police officers and officers quitting or retiring as a result. (For one example, see the post from earlier today.) However, for some reason, those posts often fail to report on the continued bad behavior of police. Early last month, a…
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State Mental Health Plan Too large, Complex to Succeed?
by James C. Sherlock I really want Virginia’s mental health program to work. It looks like a major struggle, however. I will recommend a major change: state control of the Community Services Boards (CSB)s. I think that will be necessary for the plan to have any chance of succeeding. I have just finished reading a draft…
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Can’t Anybody Here Play This Game? Virginia’s 211 – Service or Crapshoot?
by James C. Sherlock Sometimes the government of Virginia just makes you want to scream, cry, stay under the covers, whatever. Navigating government and private social services agencies when you need help is hard, even more so a crisis. But it is way harder in Virginia than it needs to be. To streamline the navigation…