The Hackett Center for Mental Health announced today that Gary M. Blau, Ph.D., will be its new Executive Director. For the past 15 years, Dr. Blau has served as Chief of the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch for the federal…
Stress and long-term trauma are a growing concern in law enforcement for the officers who are expected to take on shooters and go back to work. Some departments are paying increasing attention to mental health after such incidents, implementing special…
The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) today applauded Gov. Greg Abbott’s signing of SB 11 and HB 18, historic legislation which will improve access to effective mental health care from the family doctor, provide real-time help to families and…
The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) applauded the final passage of SB 11, which will improve access to mental health care from the family doctor, expand the mental health workforce, and provide real-time help to families and schools for…
The assessment, a first of its kind for this area, will gather data from health care providers, law enforcement, nonprofit organizations, schools, businesses, the judiciary and city and county leaders.
The Hurricane Harvey Registry revealed something researchers have known for decades: natural disasters contribute to mental health problems. The registry’s recently announced initial findings showed nearly two-thirds of respondents experienced Harvey-related mental health difficulties, particularly symptoms of posttraumatic stress.
The American Communities Project explored health and socioeconomic trends across our 15 community types in our first report this fall, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. We also took deep dives into five communities of different types, including Dallas, Texas, a Big…
In 2011, Seattle, Washington piloted the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. LEAD, now growing across the country, is an evidence-based, collaborative, pre-arrest diversion program aimed at improving public safety by reducing drug use, drug selling, and the quality-of-life problems…
The research is clear that severe mental illness alone is not a good predictor of violence. A large-scale, multi-year epidemiological study found that people who only had a severe mental illness and did not have a co-occurring substance abuse condition…
On June 26, Sen. Jane Nelson announced plans for legislation to strengthen the state’s mental health system. This included creating a consortium to help coordinate state mental health initiatives across health-related institutions of higher education, and establishing the Child Psychiatry…
In March 2018, in response to Article II, HHSC Rider 45 of the 2018-19 General Appropriations Act (85(R) SB 1), the Meadow Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) reviewed performance measures for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) in Texas and…
The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) prepared the Texas Mental Health Research Framework (Framework) upon the request of the chairs of academic departments of psychiatry in the state of Texas and behavioral health leaders in state government in an…
In March 2018, MMHPI provided a summary of key facts regarding substance use disorder (SUD) needs and services in Texas as well as addressing questions related to the opioid crisis at the time of publishing. While many people use substances,…
In response to 85(R) Senate Bill 1849, known as “The Sandra Bland Act”, Texas county jails were required to make changes to minimum jail standards as of September 1, 2017. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) asked Meadows Mental Health Policy…
The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI), Dallas FireRescue Department (DFR), Dallas Police Department (DPD), and Parkland Health & Hospital System today announced the launch of the Rapid Integrated Group Healthcare Team (RIGHT Care) pilot program, which will provide a…
Senate Bill (SB) 1849, referred to as “The Sandra Bland Act” (SBA) in this report, requires Texas county jails to make changes to minimum jail standards as of September 1, 2017. To address sections of the bill that specifically pertain…
Maureen and Jim Hackett have made a transformative gift of $20 million to the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI), dedicated to making Harris County and the broader Gulf Coast region the national leader in treating people with mental health…
Hurricanes and other natural disasters can have long and harmful effects on the mental health of children, youth, and adults. Based on the latest epidemiological research on the effects of disasters on mental health, the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute…
Today, the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) and Houston Endowment released a comprehensive assessment of the scope and quality of mental health services available for Harris County children, youth and their families. The report identifies gaps in the system…
General Overview The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) manages nine state-owned mental health facilities and one state-owned inpatient residential treatment facility for adolescents. These 10 facilities, collectively referred to as state hospitals, are a component of the statewide…