The first six months of 2025 have seen major policy pitches for behavioral health, scrutiny of psychiatric medications, and proposed Medicaid cuts. [Becker's Behavioral Health]

Here are the five biggest developments to know: 

1. Behavioral health providers are bracing for the impact of proposed Medicaid cuts. The House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a more than 1,000-page budget reconciliation bill, May 22. The bill cuts Medicaid spending by nearly $800 billion over 10 years, by implementing work requirements for beneficiaries, increasing redetermination frequency and cutting federal funding for states that provide Medicaid benefits to undocumented immigrants. The Senate has yet to vote on the reconciliation bill.
   
   An estimated 7.8 million people would lose Medicaid coverage by 2034 if the cuts passed by the House become law, according to the Congressional Budget Office

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Next week's meeting of the ACIP will offer the public a glimpse of the HHS secretary's hand-picked panel's approach to vaccines. Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, has requested an investigation into Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s dismissal of all ACIP members. [KFF Health News]

Stat: Vaccine Advisers To Consider MMRV Vaccines, ‘Thimerosal Containing’ Flu Shots In Pared-Down Meeting 

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handpicked panel of vaccines advisers will weigh in on two long-approved shots at its first meeting next week, an agenda posted on Wednesday shows. The panel will vote next week on recommendations related to “thimerosal containing” flu vaccines, and also reconsider recommendations related to the use of the combination measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine for children under 5. (Cirruzzo, 6/18)

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 It's one week to the BIG event - 110th Anniversary!! Don't miss the opportunity to celebrate this milestone with IOMC!  

Join us in thanking President Avery Davis and the Board of Governors for their leadership 2024-2025 and welcoming Incoming President Neli Vazquez Rowland and the Board of Governors 2025-2025.  Open to all, register here>

More details...

'The Institute of Medicine of Chicago has been a beacon of light in the city of Chicago for 110 years! I am proud to serve as the 110th President.  IOMC's successes are reflected in the work of diverse and distinguished professionals dedicated to addressing the critical health needs of our neighbors. With your support, IOMC will continue its mission for another 110 years,’ stated IOMC President Courtney Avery Davis, MPH, 2024-2025.

From its inception on April 22, 1915, the Institute established an independent organization dedicated to developing and documenting standards of medical services in the City of Chicago. The founders were Drs. Frank Billings, Ludvig Hektoen, William Allen Pusey, and 26 other physicians. In 1920, one of its first initiatives was implementing an autopsy survey, which led to improving the quality of care for diseases. In 1923, the Institute began research for “Needs of Chicago in Nervous and Mental Disease,” which surveyed hospitals, and began registering and training psychiatric nurses. See History of Accomplishments>

‘I am excited to help celebrate 110 years of convening healthcare leaders focused on pioneering health advancements; we look forward to renewing our commitment to exploring innovations, discussing emerging challenges, addressing health disparities, and improving outcomes for all. Together, we bridge the gaps in overall health, integrate better person-centered systems, and inspire a healthier future for every community,’ stated Neli Vazquez Rowland, Incoming IOMC President 2025-2026.

Its current strategic programmatic focus is maternal and child health, social determinants of health, unsheltered people, behavioral health, and lead pathways in children and communities. We are proud to continue the work of our founders. The Institute collaborates with top leaders across health systems, behavioral health, public health, policy and community leaders.

The Institute will extend its gratitude to President Courtney Avery Davis, MPH, Billings Fellow, and the Board of Governors for their efforts during the 2024-2025 period. She has served on the Board of Governors for the past three years in various roles. 

Avery Davis is the Founder and President of ARC Equity Consultants, LLC.  A boutique public policy and crisis communications firm that advises health care organizations on how to respond to communication challenges, maintain their brand reputation, and smartly respond to government entities. She served as the Administrator with the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, bringing nearly twenty years of experience in overseeing and managing $3 billion in healthcare infrastructure and capital improvement projects. 

We will welcome incoming President Neli Vazquez Rowland, 2025-2026, Billings Fellow, and the Board of Governors. Vazquez Rowland has served on the Board of Governors for five years, with two years on the Executive Committee.

Vazquez Rowland is a lifelong advocate of holistic wellness, dedicating her life to integrating physical, mental, economic, and spiritual health into every aspect of her work. As the co-founder of A Safe Haven, Vazquez Rowland has led the effort to help transform the lives of over 140,000 individuals experiencing homelessness by applying a whole-person approach to healing. Having served on the Board of Governors for five years, with two years on the Executive Committee as the President-Elect and Secretary.

We are honored to have Dr. David Ansell, MD, MPH, as our Keynote Speaker for this momentous occasion. He is a nationally recognized physician, clinician, epidemiologist, advocate, and author; his efforts in health equity work, addressing patient dumping, and leadership have spanned decades. Dr. Ansell is SVP, Community Health Equity, Rush University Medical Center, and Associate Provost, Community Affairs, Rush University. 

The evening will include honoring six transformational leaders: 

2025 IOMC Lifetime Achievement Award

James L. Madara, MD

CEO, American Medical Association

2025 IOMC Innovation in Health Care / Delivery Award - Individual                 

Neelum T. Aggarwal, MD

Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center

 

2025 IOMC Innovation in Health Care / Delivery Award - Organization

La Rabida Children's Hospital Behavioral Health & Community Programs

 

2025 IOMC Award for Public Service

LaMenta Conway, MD, MPH

I Am Abel Foundation

 

2025 The Portes Foundation & IOMC Award for Excellence in Prevention of Disease

Archana Chatterjee, MD, PhD

Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science

 

2025 Portes Foundation Meritorious Lifetime Achievement Award

Alejandro Aparicio, MD, FACP

The Institute will recognize its Class of 2025 Fellows at the event:

Dillon Bannis, MD

Jarrod Barker, MD

Melissa Chen, MD

Judith Cothran, MD

Gerald De Loss, JD

Kathleen Ryan Delaney, PhD

Teresa Garate, PhD

Marilyn Griffin, MD

Olusimbo Ige, MD

Monique Jones, MD

Richard Lieber, PhD

Erik P. Mikaitis, MD, MBA, FACP, CPE

Horace M. Nowell III, MPH (Associate Fellow)

Hope Pavich

Victoria W. Persky, MD

Lovelle R. Reynolds, PhD

Emonii Robinson (Associate in Training)

IOMC is every thankful of its sponsors and supporters: 

 

We wish to thank our sponsors for their support: Washington Square Health Foundation, Golden Square, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Johnson & Johnson, Cannon Solutions USA, Novo Nordisk, Hektoen, National Kidney Foundation of Illinois and Illinois Association for Behavioral Health

Our Dinner Table Sponsors are American Medical Association, Family Christian Health Center, Golz, I Am Abel Foundation, Michael Reese Research & Education Foundation, The Portes Foundation, Triblab Health, and UI-Mile Square Health Center.  In-Kind Media – Health News Illinois.

Final day to register is June 20, 2025- don't miss out. 

More details and to register here> 

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Although data from a recent case has not been disclosed, the CDC reports that of the nearly 3% of other infected people who were fully vaccinated, not one was hospitalized. A double dose of the measles vaccine is 97% effective at preventing the disease. [KFF Health News and CBS}

At least 3% of measles cases confirmed so far this year have been in people who received two doses of the measles vaccine, meaning they were fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. 

About three dozen of the nearly 1,200 measles infections in 2025 have been in people with two vaccine doses, the agency said Friday in its weekly update on cases. An additional 2% of cases were in people who received at least one dose of the measles vaccine.

Many of the cases were in Texas, which on Tuesday counted a 21st confirmed measles case in someone with at least two doses of the vaccine.

Lara Anton, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said Monday that their first 20 cases were in children 8 years old or younger. Anton did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the additional case, which was reported on Tuesday.

A CDC spokesperson said in an email their data reflects vaccination status at the time someone was exposed to the virus. This means none of the 36 vaccinated cases they confirmed Friday received their second dose as a result of post-exposure prophylaxis. Post-exposure prophylaxis is offering someone a drug or vaccine after they are exposed to a germ, to reduce the chance they will be infected or develop severe disease.

Check out an IOMC webinar on vaccines here>https://youtu.be/aFpSP-224QU?feature=shared

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Discharge planning can be challenging for all hospitals, but for those coordinating behavioral health patients, it can be especially difficult. [Becker's Behavioral Health]

Leaders told Becker’s that behavioral health patients often face worse barriers to aftercare than traditional medical patients. Some patients need to be discharged to group home facilities, many of which do not accept patients with extensive behavioral health histories. Many patients require assistance beyond medical care, including food and housing assistance. All of these barriers, and more, make discharge planning tricky as hospitals work to move patients to a lower level of care.

“Discharge planning should be viewed as a continuation of care, not a conclusion,” Stacey Romero, director of behavioral health and clinical integrated services at Santa Fe, N.M.-based Presbyterian Medical Services, told Becker’s. “The goal is to set patients up for long-term stability and recovery. If we see it as a conclusion, we’re not leaving space for patients to continue their journey.”

Here, leaders at six hospitals across the nation share their best practices for behavioral health discharges.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced its Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher (CNPV) program to enhance the health interests of Americans. The new voucher may be redeemed by drug developers to participate in a novel priority program by the FDA that shortens its review time from approximately 10-12 months to 1-2 months following a sponsor’s final drug application submission. [FDA]

The new CNPV process convenes experts from FDA offices for a team-based review rather than using the standard review system of a drug application being sent to numerous FDA offices. Clinical information will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians and scientists who will pre-review the submitted information and convene for a 1-day “tumor board style” meeting.

“Using a common-sense approach, the national priority review program will allow companies to submit the lion’s share of the drug application before a clinical trial is complete so that we can reduce inefficiencies. The ultimate goal is to bring more cures and meaningful treatments to the American public,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary M.D., M.P.H. “As a surgical oncologist, we often made multidisciplinary decisions with a team of doctors on major life-and-death questions for patients, incorporating the latest medical studies in a 1-day tumor board-style discussion. This voucher harnesses that model to deliver timely decisions for drug developers.”  

The FDA plans in the first year of the program to give a limited number of vouchers to companies aligned with U.S. national priorities. In addition to receiving the benefits of this program, the agency may also grant an accelerated approval, if the product for which the voucher is used meets the applicable legal requirements for accelerated approval. The new review program will also include enhanced communication with the sponsor throughout the process. The FDA Commissioner will use specific criteria to make the vouchers available to companies that are aligned with the national health priorities of:

• Addressing a health crisis in the U.S.
• Delivering more innovative cures for the American people.
• Addressing unmet public health needs.
• Increasing domestic drug manufacturing as a national security issue.

To qualify, sponsors must submit the chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) portion of the application and the draft labeling at least 60 days before submitting the final application. Sponsors must also be available for ongoing communication with prompt responses to FDA inquiries during the CNPV review. The FDA reserves the right to extend the review window if the data or application components submitted are insufficient or incomplete, if the results of pivotal trial(s) are ambiguous, or if the review is particularly complex.

Vouchers can be directed by the FDA towards a specific investigational new drug of a company or be granted to a company as an undesignated voucher, allowing a company to use the voucher for a new drug at the company’s discretion and consistent with the program’s objectives.

This program aims to accelerate the drug review process for companies aligned with U.S. national priorities while maintaining the FDA's rigorous standards for safety, efficacy, and quality.

“This approach capitalizes on frequent communication with sponsors, which can be a powerful tool in reducing wasted time. We are confident this more efficient process can be achieved without cutting any corners on safety or scientific evaluation,” said Principal Deputy Commissioner Sara Brenner, M.D., M.P.H.

The CNPV program reflects the FDA's commitment to create more efficient approval processes and modernize regulatory frameworks for greater agility to meet emerging public health needs.

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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now urging summer camp operators to check for documentation of immunity from measles through vaccination or prior infection for all children, staff and volunteers, amid a deadly year of outbreaks that is now near record levels.[KFF Health News & CBS]

"Measles can spread quickly in summer camps because campers and staff spend a lot of time together in close contact with each other. Measles is more than just a rash — it can cause serious complications or even death," the CDC warned in a "checklist" for operators of summer camps published this week.

The agency's new guidance says that tracking measles immunity status is important to help health departments quickly identify people who need to be vaccinated or offered antibody injections in the case of an outbreak within a camp.

"Decide if you will allow unvaccinated campers and staff at your camp. Understand the risk if you do accept a camper or staff member who has not been immunized for measles," the American Camp Association says in its guidance for camps, which shared the CDC's checklist.

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A pair of Chicago-based organizations partnered with the Kennedy Forum to recently launch a new interactive tool that tracks data from commercial insurers in Illinois. [Health News Illinois]

The Mental Health Parity Index draws on data made available through a federal rule, allowing users to view in-network providers and their reimbursement rates by county.

Officials said the index is the result of an 18-month collaboration among the Kennedy Forum, Third Horizon and the American Medical Association. Leading experts in mental health, substance use, physical health, health research and payment policy have reviewed the underlying public methods.

Per the data, there are 55 percent fewer mental health providers than physical health providers available statewide. The relative percentage differences ranged from 7.5 percent to 153 percent across health plans in Illinois.

Additionally, the average mental health services are reimbursed 27 percent lower than physical health, with the difference ranging from 3 percent to 56 percent across the health plans.

Hospitals also receive almost twice as much per day for a physical health admission as they do for a mental health admission.

“This tool, for the first time, has the power to illuminate specific geographies where an individual health plan can enhance their in-network coverage by providing clear metrics on how to take that cost and life-saving action,” said Third Horizon President Greg Williams.

Health News Illinois recently caught up with Nathaniel Counts, the Kennedy Forum’s chief policy officer, about how the index came to be and what’s next in the effort.

Edited excerpts below:

HNI: How did this come about?

NC: We launched it in 2023 at our Alignment for Progress Conference with our partner Third Horizon, which is based in Chicago, and then the American Medical Association joined as a partner as well. It started with funding from the Illinois Legislature, and what this project does is based on these transparency and coverage files. So in 2022, with very little fanfare, the federal government required insurance companies to post publicly and share their negotiated rates for every single service, for every single provider and for every single plan. That is like petabytes of data, so much so that a single file could crash your whole computer because it's like the sheer volume of information. And so after these files were posted, there wasn't much activity around them because they were so complex. And so the Kennedy Forum and Third Horizon, we began this project, and we're analyzing these files to look at in Illinois.

HNI: What were some of the key findings for you?

NC: There does seem to be at least a lot of registered mental health subsidy providers out there who aren't getting contracts. So theoretically, maybe not all of them would see patients, but there are at least these registered providers out there. That's been a big part of this conversation, 'There's just not enough providers.' It still may be in part true, but at least on paper, there are these folks out there. So I think that's a huge finding. Also, there's a lot of variability in what percentage of these providers people are getting into networks as well. 

We know that at least 51.8 percent of these people will come into networks. And that is a pretty critical finding that we had no idea until right now. So the big difference is that there have been some past analyses on the differences in reimbursement between mental health and substance use providers on one hand and physical health providers. But this shows a 27 percent lower reimbursement. This is real-time data. Before, it was like multiple-year lag claims data, which was the best we could do. But this is what the health plans are reporting they're paying people right now, and I think that's a really powerful tool for understanding what the market's doing.

HNI: What’s been the initial feedback on this index and the data?

NC: So the state’s Chief Behavioral Health Officer was on a panel with me and the president-elect of the Illinois State Medical Society, and they were just both so excited to have a more granular view of the data. Because beyond just the big dot findings we shared, I think having a better sense of, 'Oh, there are these providers potentially out there in this county that we might be able to recruit. And if we do bring these payments up to parity, we might be able to get people to network and, like, really address more specific health disparities.' That's a really exciting finding for a lot of people. Even at the plans, I think it's harder for them to do that level of analysis

HNI: What's the plan going forward with this tool?

NC: We're going to be working with stakeholders like all the ones we mentioned across the Illinois ecosystem to see how best to equip them to use the tool. So working with insurers, quite a lot of them were at the release... the employer coalitions and the state to figure out how we can best maximize this to start changing the numbers towards parity. And then also, beyond the data, where there's collective areas of advocacy that could improve some of these numbers beyond just insurance parity as well. I think there's like a two-pronged area of advocacy that begins to open up. More nationally, our hope is to keep expanding as we get more resources to access more plans and bring in more data for more states. We think this could be an important tool federally as the federal government starts to think about the next steps for parity; we've already started conversations with a lot of federal partners to figure out how we use this data to improve understanding of parity and get towards like the core questions of access.

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The Portes Foundation and the Institute of Medicine of Chicago are proud to honor Dr. Alejandro Aparicio with the 2025 Portes Foundation  Meritorious Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Dr. Aparicio recently retired from our board as well as from his full time position with the American Medical Association (AMA). He has been licensed as a practicing physician in the State of Illinois since 1984 and has served in numerous leadership positions at both local and national levels for nearly 40 years. His contributions range from his service in the United States Army Reserve to health care delivery, teaching medical professionals, leading professional organizations, and serving as the Director of Medical Education Programs for the AMA.

Dr. Aparicio was born in Cuba in the 1950s and migrated to the United States as a teen. He became a United States citizen and attended the University of Florida where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. While an undergraduate student, he was the recipient of the Sidney M. Jourard Outstanding Leadership Award and served as President of the National Honor Society. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Univeridad Central del Este in the Dominican Republic and completed his residency at Ravenswood Hospital Medical Center in Chicago. He was named the Outstanding Resident of the Year in 1985 and served as Chief Resident in Internal Medicine the following year. Dr. Aparicio served in the United States Army Reserve upon completing his residency and was honorably discharged at the rank of Major.

From 1985 through 2004, Dr. Aparicio served in a number of roles with Advocate Health facilities in Chicago. In addition to his practice in General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at the Advocate Health Center at Irving and Western, he served as the Assistant Program Director for Internal Medicine and the Director of Medical Education at Advocate Ravenswood Hospital Medical Center. At Ravenswood, he accepted leadership roles on a number of committees and served as Chairman of the Medical Education Committee, the Library and Medical Resources Center, the Curriculum Subcommittee, the Medical Records Quality Improvement Team, the Collaborative Care Committee, and the Medical Staff Nominating Committee. He founded and served as editor of “The Ravenswood Hospital Forum”, a publication of the Department of Medical Education.

From November 2000 to August 2004, Dr. Aparicio served as the Associate Medical Director and Director of Medical Education at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago where he also served on numerous committees with varied focuses on such topics as ethics and risk management.

Dr. Aparicio also took on system‐wide leadership roles with the Advocate Health Care system. He served on the Board of Directors from 2004 to 2012 and chaired the Continuing Medical Education Committee, serving on a number of other committees such as the Research and Medical Education Task Force and was the Associate Editor of the Journal of Advocate Health Care.

In addition to his work with Advocate, Dr. Aparicio served as Medical Director and Vice President for Medical Affairs at Ballard Health Care Residence and Ballard Health Care Residence in Des Plaines, Illinois over the period from 1996 to 2004. He also served on the Board of Governors for Advocate Kutsch College of Nursing from 1997 through 2003.

In September of 2004, he took on the role of Director of Continuing Physician Professional Development with the American Medical Association (AMA) where he was responsible for overseeing Continuing Professional Development programs around the United States that directly impact the efforts of thousands of practitioners to promote health and prevent disease.

In 2014, he became the Director of Medical Education Programs at the AMA, thus expanding his role and influence in the field. During his career, Dr. Aparicio has contributed his expertise to research in the field of disease prevention and health professions education as well. He held appointments at the University of Illinois College of Medicine from 1985 through 2023, most recently as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Education. During this time, he served on numerous committees at the university such as the College Committee on Continuing Medical Education, the Graduate Medical Education Consortium Committee, the Essentials of Clinical Medicine Subcommittee, and served as the Co‐chair of the M3/M4 Subcommittee.

In an effort to support the dissemination of research on health promotion and disease prevention, Dr. Aparicio has been a member of the editorial board at of the journal Educación Médica, served on the advisory board of the Journal of European CME, and has served as a reviewer for articles in various medical journals including Academic Medicine, Frontiers in Pharmacology, the Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, Medical Teacher, and Quality and Safety in Health Care.

Dr. Aparicio’s influence on the field of health promotion and disease prevention is extensive as demonstrated by his involvement with professional organizations both local and national. He has been on the Board of Directors or served as an officer in more than 10 organizations such as The Global Alliance for Medical Education, Hispanocare, the Illinois Medical Directors Association, the National Task Force on Continuing Medical Education Provider/Industry Collaboration, the Ravenswood Health Care Foundation, and the Portes Foundation. He received a presidential appointment to the White House Conference on Aging in 2005.

Dr. Aparicio’s impact on health care providers is evident from the many awards he has received recognizing his work such as the President’s Award from the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Preceptorship Award from the American College of Physicians, the Robert Raszkowski, MD, PhD ACCME Hero Award from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the Geriatrics Recognition Award from the American Geriatrics Society, the Physician Recognition Award from the AMA, and the Award of Merit from the Federation of State Medical Boards.

The Portes Foundation & the Institute of Medicine of Chicago are proud to honor Dr. Aparicio with Portes/IOMC Award for Excellence in the Field of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. 

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Self-reported mental health of mothers declined significantly from 2016 to 2023, a study published May 27 in JAMA Internal Medicine found. [Becker's Behavioral Health & JAMA]

The study examined data from more than 198,000 female parents of children aged 0 to 17. 

Here are five things to know: 

1. The prevalence of mothers reporting “excellent” mental health declined from 38.4% in 2016 to 25.8% in 2023. 
   
   
2. The percentage of mothers reporting “fair/poor” mental health rose from 5.5% in 2016 to 8.5% in 2023.
   
   
3. The study also examined self-reported physical health among mothers. The percentage of mothers reporting excellent physical health declined from 28% to 23.9%, while the share reporting good physical health rose from 24.3% to 28%. 
   
   
4. Mental health declined across socioeconomic groups, but mothers who were U.S.-born, single parents, less educated, or had publicly insured or uninsured children were more likely to report worse physical and mental health. 
   
   
5. The study points to a need for further investigation of the underlying causes of mental health decline among mothers, the study’s authors concluded. 

The study was conducted by researchers at New York City-based Columbia University and Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan. 

Read the full study here.

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