The News
Daily coverage of the developments shaping health and human services. From policy shifts to program innovations, reports on trends-shaping mental health, addiction treatment, child and family services, autism and I/DD, disability support and long-term care, social services, corrections, juvenile justice, chronic disease management, health care systems, and more-helping leaders make timely, informed decisions.
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Iowa Unifies Behavioral Health & Disability Services Under New System Launched With Centralized Navigation, Standardized RatesÂ
July 18, 2025On July 1, 2025, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched its newly designed Behavioral Health and Disability Services Systems. The new system features a statewide behavioral health administrative service organization (BH-ASO) and four regional Disability Access Points… -
Study Links Antipsychotic Discontinuation To Lower Rehospitalization In Older AdultsÂ
July 17, 2025Among older adults without psychiatric disorders who filled a prescription for an antipsychotic prescribed to manage hospitalization-related delirium but later stopped taking the medication, the risk of rehospitalization and all-cause mortality was lower than among a similar group who did… -
Pediatric Mental Health Hospitalizations Decline For First Time Since 2009Â
July 17, 2025Between 2019 and 2022, the total number of pediatric mental health hospitalizations declined for the first time since 2009, according to a recent study. The goal of the study was to evaluate changes in the number of pediatric mental health… -
Iowa Ends Annual Insurance Limits On Autism Coverage
July 17, 2025On July 1, 2025, a new Iowa state law went into effect that prohibits commercial insurance plans from imposing an aggregate annual or lifetime limit on coverage benefits for medically necessary services, including applied behavior analysis (ABA) for residents with… -
Single-Dose Psilocybin Shows Lasting Mental Health Benefits For Those With CancerÂ
July 17, 2025A single dose of psilocybin—a naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms—combined with psychological therapy can provide sustained reductions in depression and anxiety in individuals with cancer and major depressive disorder (MDD), according to the results of an ongoing… -
Maryland Updates Opioid Fund Rules & Adds Paramedic Buprenorphine ProgramÂ
July 17, 2025On July 1, 2025, three new bills in Maryland went into effect to expand access to opioid use disorder treatment by giving local governments greater access to funds from the state’s opioid settlement. Two of the bills modify how the… -
Brightli & Centerstone Plan Merger To Form $1 Billion Behavioral Health Powerhouse Across Nine States
July 17, 2025On July 17, 2025, non-profit behavioral health provider organizations Brightli and Centerstone entered into a non-binding agreement with the intent to merge and create a unified organization. The result would be a large non-profit specialty provider organization with more than… -
45% Of Opioid Treatment Programs Now Offer Full Suite Of Medications For Opioid Use DisorderÂ
July 16, 2025About 45% of opioid treatment programs (OTPs) offer all three approved medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD)—methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone, according to a recent report. The percentage of OTPs offering the full suite of MOUD increased from 33% in 2017,… -
Pulsed Current Therapy Improves Sleep, Social Skills In Children With AutismÂ
July 16, 2025Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who were treated with transcranial pulsed current stimulation (tPCS) had improved social functioning and sleep compared to a control (sham) group, according to a Chinese study. The goal of the research was to examine… -
California CARE Engages More Than 3,300 People With Severe Mental Illness
July 16, 2025A total of 3,366 people at the highest risk of hospitalization, homelessness, and incarceration have engaged with county behavioral health organizations and related services across California under the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act since October 2023, according to…