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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2026 Health Care Mergers & Acquisitions Expected To Focus On Outpatient Care, Specialty Services, & Cost Containment
March 26, 2026Outpatient care, specialty services, and cost containment solutions are projected to drive merger and acquisition activity in the health care sector during 2026, according to a recent report by VMG Health. Increased deal volume is projected for physician practices, behavioral… -
Four States Can Meet About 50% Of Estimated Demand For Psychiatrist Services, The Highest Capacity Of All States
March 26, 2026Four states, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Utah, have sufficient behavioral health professionals to meet about 50% of estimated mental health demand, based on the number of psychiatrists in the state. Nearly half of states have enough psychiatrists… -
Wisconsin To Extend Medicaid Postpartum Coverage To One Year Starting July 2026
March 26, 2026Wisconsin Medicaid is expanding postpartum coverage from 60 days to one year under a new law signed on March 18, 2026. The coverage will be available for families starting July 1, 2026, pending approval of Wisconsin’s state plan amendment by… -
North Carolina To Launch $3.5 Million Pilot Mental Health Program For Justice-Involved Youth In Juvenile Detention
March 26, 2026North Carolina plans to launch a two-year pilot program to improve mental health care for youth involved with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS). A $3.5 million investment from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services… -
Independent Living Leads Senior Living Sector In Inquiry Growth & Move-In Conversions From 2024 To 2025
March 26, 2026Across four types of senior living communities, independent living had the highest growth in consumer inquiry volume and in move-in conversions between 2024 and 2025, according to a recent report. Average monthly consumer inquiry volume increased by 10.5%, from 53.2… -
Consumer AI Chatbot Therapists Failed To Meet Counseling Ethics Standards, With 15 Types Of Ethical Risks Identified
March 25, 2026Large language models (LLMs) that offer artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for consumer use consistently failed to adhere to mental health counseling ethics standards established for human therapists. Even when the LLMs were instructed to use established ethical psychotherapy approaches, the… -
In Structured Test, ChatGPT Health Undertriaged 52% Of Emergency Cases, Often Advising Delayed Care
March 25, 2026ChatGPT Health, a new artificial intelligence (AI) application focused on triaging consumer health concerns, undertriaged 52% of emergencies, according to a recent report. Researchers tested the technology with clinical vignettes of varying urgency to assess triage accuracy. The technology correctly… -
Four States Join Federal ‘Home For Every Child’ Foster Care Pilot
March 25, 2026Four states (Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee) have announced plans to participate in a new federal foster care pilot initiative called A Home for Every Child that was established in November 2025 by a presidential executive order. The goal of… -
Washington State Creates PreK Promise Account To Expand Preschool Capacity With $1 Billion In Private Funding
March 25, 2026Washington State is implementing a fund, called the PreK Promise Account, that can accept private donations to support the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). ECEAP provides high-quality preschool for low-income families. The PreK Promise Account was created by Senate Bill 5872. Governor Bob Ferguson signed… -
Personalized Antidepressant Treatment Reduced Discontinuation In Major Depressive Disorder (17% vs. 27%)
March 24, 2026People with major depressive disorder (MDD) who received a personalized antidepressant selected using a web-based clinical decision-support system were less likely to discontinue treatment within eight weeks. The discontinuation rate was 17% for those who received a personalized antidepressant prescription…