News Mashup for January 2024
2024 California Children’s Report Card
In January, the non-profit Children Now released the 2024 California Children’s Report Card. The report, which is issued annually, paints a not-so-rosy picture of the State’s progress in providing behavioral health care to children and teens. Ted Lempert, President of Children Now, argues that the 2024 report shows that “California has failed to significantly improve outcomes for kids, allowing unacceptable racial and economic disparities to stagnate and in many cases grow.”
Specific to behavioral health care, the report asserts that “California is failing to create environments that support children’s emotional wellness and has largely been unable to provide services.” The report notes that California has one of highest proportion of parents reporting that mental health care for their children is virtually impossible to find (51st out of all 50 states and the District of Columbia). Finding mental health services, the report argues, is the result of “perseverance, privilege, and luck, rather than a comprehensive system.”
Click on the links below to learn more.
Children Now. January 2024. 2024 California Children’s Reports Card. Retrieved January 30, 2024 from https://go.childrennow.org/2024-california-childrens-report-card.
Children Now Health Team. January 18, 2024. A path to successful closed loop referrals in Medi-Cal. Children Now. Retrieved January 30, 2024 from https://www.childrennow.org/blog/a-path-to-successful-closed-loop-referrals-in-medi-cal/.
More Stories of Note in January: Intervention at an early age may hold off the onset of depression Scientific American — 01.01.2024; Americans on Medicare now get better access to mental health care: Here's how NPR — 01.02.2024; It keeps people with schizophrenia in school and on the job: Why won't insurance pay? NPR — 01.02.2024; New York closed psych beds for youth in crisis: Now, foster care programs and host towns are being pushed to the limit ProPublica — 01.03.2024; California continues to release millions in grants for mental health EdSource — 01.04.2024; Experts recommend mental health screenings for students: Most schools aren’t doing them Education Week — 01.04.2024; Why social media is being blamed for the youth suicide crisis The 74 — 01.05.2024; Skipping school: America’s hidden education crisis ProPublica — 01.06.2024; Two types of housing vouchers for foster youth: Quick guide EdSource — 01.08.2024; Improving the foster care and adoption systems in the United States American First Policy Institute — 01.08.2024; 40 years after ‘A Nation at Risk,’ assessing the impact of whole-child reforms on America’s schools The 74 — 01.09.2024; Meta to hide posts about suicide, eating disorders from teens’ feeds Associate Press - 01.08.2024; Juvenile justice task force says behavioral health is major factor in youth crime Yahoo! News — 01.09.2024; A foster youth’s journey towards healing The Imprint — 01.16.2024; California launches new innovative mental health virtual platforms for youth ABC/KRCR — 01.16.2024; Student-led network helps address shortage of mental health professionals in schools PBS News Hour — 01.16.2024; Instagram’s new teen safety features still fall short, critics say The New York Times — 01.17.2024; HHS roadmap for behavioral health integration fact sheet of accomplishments USDHHS — 01.18.2024; Capacity expansion, financial accessibility key to solving youth mental health crisis Behavioral Health Business — 01.22.2024; Study report: The 2023 CrisisCrowd Crisis Counselor Survey CrisisCrowd — 01.24.2024; New report shows teenagers face unique challenges in the child welfare system CBS 21 — 01.26.2024; 988-hotline counselors air concerns about lack of training, rushed calls MindSite News — 01.26.2024;
