RIGHT Care stands for Rapid Integrated Group Healthcare Team. It started in 2018 after a study from the Meadows Mental Health Institute found the number of mental health-related calls increased by 18 percent from 2012 through 2015. The report also…
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the dire need for broad and affordable access to mental healthcare and resources. The isolation of the last few months, fear of illness, record unemployment and countless other stressors in 2020 are contributing to…
The North Texas Collaborative, a new organization formed by five D-FW agencies, aims to expand access to mental health care for area veterans and their family members. “With over 20 veterans losing their lives to suicide every day and with…
The after-effects of the coronavirus pandemic — which still has no foreseeable end — will likely last long after the worst of the disease has receeded. “I have no doubt that there are some people who have a diagnosable mental…
An alliance between Betty Hardwick Center and the Abilene Police and Fire departments to bring better response to mental health issues worked 1,654 calls for service in its first year. Its primary goal is to stop clients from cycling between behavioral health…
Members of the Texas Tech Mental Health Initiative stressed the importance of mental health services in Lubbock Monday as a new report showed a need for care in the community. The group announced they would be forming the West Texas…
The devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on mental health in our country — from anxiety to depression to suicide — will require a robust response from federal, state and local officials. As the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in…
The coronavirus pandemic wears on, and so does its toll on people’s mental health as they navigate isolation, stress, anxiety and grief. Experts expect increases in suicide and substance abuse linked to rising unemployment in Texas during the pandemic — more than…
Thank you, Midland ISD, for hiring a mental health coordinator. The addition to the Midland ISD staff will help implement and develop a program as the district puts together a mental health action plan. This newspaper has been consistent in…
When the Texas Legislature convenes in January, there will be no shortage of coronavirus-related issues demanding action, from the many hours of lost instructional time for our students to a surge in Texans who have lost their businesses or their…
Mental health services have always been scarce in Texas’ vast rural stretches. But the pandemic has caused the state to lift restrictions on providing care online or by phone. The coronavirus pandemic has created widespread fear and economic anxiety across…
If you call 911 in certain neighborhoods in Dallas, a licensed specialist at the dispatch center will determine if the call relates to a mental health crisis. If it does, it won’t just be the police that respond to the…
From lockdowns to unemployment to reopening, the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute is taking a deep dive into how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect mental health. President and CEO Andy Keller talks with KERA Radio about the Institute’s research. Listen…
Youth mental health, already a widespread concern before the pandemic began, is especially vulnerable now. Youth experience unique challenges in processing traumatic events, and the pandemic places those with mental health conditions at particular risk. School closures and social distancing…
Within the first month of its launch, the state’s new mental health support line received nearly 2,000 calls from Texans in 100 counties who were experiencing fears of getting sick, feelings of isolation from social distancing and anxiety over a…
Mental-health experts are especially worried about the ongoing economic devastation. Research has established a strong link between economic upheaval and suicide and substance use. Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute predictions suggest if unemployment amid the coronavirus pandemic ends up rising…
The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute and The Hackett Center for Mental Health are working with providers, advocates, and state leaders who remain focused on the well-being of Texas children, despite the pandemic. Well in advance of this current crisis,…
The toll that the coronavirus pandemic is taking – and will take – on the mental health of frontline responders cannot be overlooked. But what may be most unique about this crisis is how much damage it’s inflicting and will…
The first time Andy Keller met David Brown, Brown was still chief of the Dallas Police Department. Keller went to headquarters to talk about his expertise: public policy as it relates to mental health. Brown and Keller partnered on an…
The Paso del Norte Health Foundation recently awarded Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso a $165,000 grant to assist with the launch of a program to improve mental health care for children and adolescents in the El Paso…