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…
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…
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…
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…
The philosophical foundation, key assumptions, and principles that comprise the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) trauma-informed care approach aligns with those of other leading behavioral health and health care organizations. However, there is no consensus on a…
The Depression in the Workplace Survey was conducted by the Texas Business Group on Health in the summer of 2016 in partnership with the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute and with promotional assistance from the Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on…
Youth Crisis Outreach Teams (YCOTs) are modeled after Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS), recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) as an evidence-informed practice for addressing immediate and crisis-level mental health needs among children, youth,…
Mass murder is often associated in the public’s mind with mental illness. Recent attacks have resulted in calls to reform the process for assessing and treating people with mental illnesses, including changes to legal rights (e.g., access to firearms) as…
Background on Legislation Laws designed to put mental health coverage on similar footing with physical health coverage are complex and contain gaps that make true parity difficult to accomplish. Parity legislation at both the state and federal levels for mental…
For decades, a best practice of health care systems reform has been to reduce higher-cost emergency health care by promoting more cost-effective primary care aimed at prevention and early intervention of illness and disease. It is time to eliminate the…