Vermont has the most accessible mental healthcare services, according to a report by Mental Health America. See the 39-page report. [Becker's Behavioral Health]

The 2023 "State of Mental Health in America" report gathered data from health screenings from populations in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., through 2020 to assess aspects of mental healthcare in America. The report was released in October 2022. 

The report ranked the accessibility of mental health services in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., by considering metrics including the quality and cost of insurance in the area, access to treatment and special education, and the availability of mental health providers. 

Here are the 10 states with the most readily available mental healthcare, starting with the state with the most accessible care. 

1. Vermont
2. Massachusetts
3. Illinois
4. Montana
5. Washington, D.C. 
6. Pennsylvania 
7. New Hampshire
8. Connecticut
9. Wisconsin
10. Rhode Island

Check out IOMC's virtual program on Mental Health from earlier this year here.

###

Two Illinois agencies are set to receive more than$142 million over five years to strengthen their public health workforce and infrastructure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday. [Health News Illinois]

The Illinois Department of Public Health is projected to receive about $106.4 million. The Chicago Department of Public Health is projected to receive about $35.6 million.

The dollars are part of $3.2 billion being allocated by the CDC to states, cities, counties and territories to strengthen their public health infrastructure and recruit, retain and train their workforce, including epidemiologists, contact tracers, laboratory scientists, community health workers and data analysts.

About $3 billion of the funds come from the American Rescue Plan Act.

“This grant gives these agencies critical funding and flexibility to build and reinforce the nation’s public health workforce and infrastructure, and protect the populations they serve,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “We are meeting them where they are and trusting them to know what works best for their communities.”

IDPH and CDPH did not return requests for comment.

The state's two Democratic senators praised the funding in a joint statement, saying it will help Illinois' public health infrastructure coming out of the pandemic.

 "This infusion of American Rescue Plan support will further help the Illinois and Chicago Departments of Public Health address Illinoisans’ current medical needs, and help protect folks’ health in the time ahead," said Sen. Tammy Duckworth.

###

Chicago Family Health Center is one of six finalists for the Pritzker Traubert Foundation $10 million Chicago Prize 2022. [Sun-Times]

The Ringer Bank Building was once a hub of South Side business operations for businessman Charles Ringer.

But after a stint as a car dealership, the 1928 building sat vacant for years on the corner of 79th Street and Exchange Avenue in South Shore.

Chicago Family Health Center and DL3 Realty now want to breathe life back into the three-story building as part of a revitalization effort for the area through Thrive Exchange, officials said.

The project, which includes a health care center, apartments and retail, is one of six finalists for the Pritzker Traubert Foundation’s $10 million Chicago Prize 2022.

The prize is part of a $30 million commitment from the foundation to increase development over the next three years on the South and West sides. The winner of the Chicago Prize will be announced in December.

The Thrive Exchange project would bring an affordable health care center to the 20,000-square-foot Ringer building.

Near the building, two apartment buildings with 76 units and 24 condos with affordable price tags also would be part of the $100 million project. Apartments would rent at 60% of the median area income. There also would be 16,000 square feet of space for retail use.

About 450 jobs are expected to be created.

###

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) hosted an educational session on how federal policymakers can promote health and advance equity by supporting access to safe, stable, and affordable housing. 

Check out video here> 

###

Health care costs averaged over $10,000 per person in 2020, but the exact amount varied by state. We compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 11 key metrics using data from the Kaiser Family Foundation to determine which states are most and least expensive for health care.

 Illinois ranked 21 with a score of  53.94 out of 100. The average health care cost per person is $9,601.00. 

Key Takeaways

• South Dakota topped the list of states with the most expensive health care, while Michigan is the cheapest.
• Forbes Advisor’s analysis found that the eastern part of the country is where you may find the most expensive health care costs. Five of the 10 most expensive states for medical care are in the east, including West Virginia, Florida, Maine, Delaware and New Hampshire.
• The western part of the country has many of the cheapest states for health care, including Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, New Mexico and Oregon.
• 44% of Americans consider a medical bill of under $1,000 to be unaffordable.
• In an effort to reduce costs in the past 12 months, 27% of survey respondents have delayed a doctor’s visit, 19% have delayed a medical procedure, and 19% have avoided a prescription refill.

Full article here> 

###

Public Health Not Corporate Health

On June 23, 2022, the US Supreme Court ruled in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association (NYSPRA) v. Bruen that the New York State law requiring individuals to show proper cause to obtain a license to carry a concealed firearm in public places for purposes of self-defense was unconstitutional (https://bit.ly/3DBV4vF). The significance of this ruling from political and public health perspectives cannot be underestimated. [AJPH December 2022]  Download paper here

Against the backdrop of growing political partisanship among US legislators and in the US Supreme Court, the persistent lobbying by gun rights groups and the gun industry to loosen gun regulations and promote gun sales, as evidenced by the NYSPRA ruling, exemplifies how commercial determinants undermine health and well-being. The commercial interests of the gun lobby and the gun industry that limit research and drive laws and practices to sustain the availability and presence of guns in the United States cause immediate and horrific public health harms—mass shootings, mass murders, homicides, suicides, and unintentional gun-related injuries and deaths. The physical and emotional costs of gun-related injuries and deaths to survivors, their friends, and families are staggering. An evaluation funded by Everytown for Gun Safety concluded that gun violence costs Americans $557 billion annually—the bulk of which is attributed to quality-of-life costs for victims and their families ($489.1 billion) and medical costs ($2.8 billion) (https://bit.ly/3Ubhw4N).

Full paper here> 

###

What you need to Know- Updated today  |

What to know if you had a positive test vs. no symptoms. 

If you recently had COVID-19, you may consider delaying your next vaccine dose (primary dose or booster) by 3 months from when your symptoms started or, if you had no symptoms, when you first received a positive test.

• Updated (bivalent) boosters became available on:
  • September 2, 2022, for people 12 years of age and older
  • October 12, 2022, for people aged 5–11
• CDC recommends everyone stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines for their age group:
  • Children and teens ages 6 months–17 years
  • Adults ages 18 years and older
• Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection against COVID-19.
• People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised have different recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines.
• COVID-19 vaccine and booster recommendations may be updated as CDC continues to monitor the latest COVID-19 data

More info here> 

###

The Children's Hospital Association and American Academy of Pediatrics are calling on federal officials to declare a national and public health emergency to free up resources and give hospitals more flexibility to respond to an "alarming surge of pediatric hospitalizations" from respiratory syncytial virus and flu. [Becker's Hospital Review]

In a Nov. 14 letter sent to President Joe Biden and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, the pediatric groups said the confluence of capacity issues from respiratory viruses and ongoing children's mental health needs "requires nimbleness and flexibility that can only be provided through a presidential declaration of an emergency under the Stafford Act or National Emergencies Act and a public health emergency declaration."

Such declarations would allow a waiver of certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program requirements, according to the groups. For example, waivers may alleviate hospitals from Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act requirements "that may impede transferring patients and creating off-site triage to manage capacity challenges."

Full article here>

###

The byproducts of the COVID-19 pandemic remain morbid, with 12 percent of healthcare C-suite executives saying they think the delayed care access common during the worst of the outbreak will result in higher mortality rates, according to new research from Sage Growth Partners.

Healthcare organizations will need to combat this prediction by continuing their work to close care gaps and improve patient re-engagement and access to preventive screenings.

Nearly two-thirds of those executives said they think patient health is worse off than before the pandemic, with staffing shortages and lapses in health equity being part of the problem.

“Our new report uncovers alarming data about the state of overall health in America, with 67% of our survey respondents indicating that they believe the health of Americans is worse now than it was before the pandemic,” Dan D’Orazio, Sage Growth Partners CEO, said in a press release.

“Key factors contributing to this health decline are the high rate of cancelled and delayed care appointments as well as the tremendous impact that clinical staffing shortages and a lack of health equity are having across the industry. To address challenges such as these, it will take the full cooperation of the entire healthcare ecosystem to solve.”

Full article here>

###

Addressing maternal health disparities will be a key priority as federal lawmakers return for their final session of the year, two Illinois Congress members said Tuesday. [Health News Illinois]

U.S. Reps. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, and Robin Kelly, D-Matteson, told reporters during a virtual event held Tuesday by the advocacy group Protect Our Care that they have spoken to Democratic leadership in the House and Senate about taking up several proposals related to maternal health in its end-of-the-year agenda, including extending postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to one year in all states.

“Now that the election is behind us, it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work on passing these important priorities in the end-of-the-year package,” Kelly said.

Underwood also renewed calls to pass her maternal health omnibus, which includes investments for community-based organizations, perinatal workforce, improving data collection processes and addressing the social determinants of health.

Tuesday’s press conference comes as the future makeup of the House remains uncertain, with election results continuing to come in. Analysts expect Republicans to retake control of the chamber.

Both Kelly and Underwood said they understood there will be many legislative priorities pushed by their colleagues in the coming weeks, but added that maternal health cannot wait any longer.

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office, requested last year by Underwood, Kelly, and five other representatives, found the maternal death rate for Black women was 68.9 per 100,000 live births in 2021, compared to 44 in 2019. White women saw their death rates rise from 17.9 to 26.1 during that time, while Latinx women’s death rates went from 12.6 to 27.5.

 “These statistics are tragic and unacceptable,” Underwood said Tuesday. “They are an urgent call to action that we have a responsibility to answer.”

###