Archives: Policy Environments
Public Health Approach to Substance Use
Texas communities have been significantly affected by substance use whether by a criminal justice response, involvement with the child welfare system, utilizing the healthcare system, or experiencing the tragic loss of life due to an overdose. Harm reduction, prevention, treatment, and recovery supports for individuals and families can minimize community trauma caused by the historically […]
Read more »Well-Being of Youth in the Texas Juvenile Justice System
For almost two decades, the juvenile justice system in Texas has been the subject of several scandals and legal challenges. There have been numerous documented accounts of harm being done to the physical and emotional well-being of youth in its care. Beginning in 2007, reports of physical and sexual abuse caused judges and the Legislature […]
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Black, Indigenous, People of Color
The intersection of culture, tradition, and systemic disparities profoundly shapes the mental health experiences of BIPOC communities.
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Hispanic and Latine/a/o/x
Texas has the third largest Hispanic and Latino population by percentage in the country. Addressing the mental health of Texans must take the unique cultural and social perspectives of this population into consideration.
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Older Adults
As of 2023, Texas alone has the third-largest older adult population in the nation at around 4 million people. As this population expands, so will their mental health and substance use service needs.
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Veterans
This sizable community in Texas faces unique mental health challenges as they reintegrate into civilian life, including returning to jobs, communities, homes, and families.
Read more »The Behavioral Health Workforce: Ongoing Shortages & Innovative Solutions
Chronic Workforce Shortage Across the Provider Spectrum Texas’s mental health and substance use workforce shortage is not a new challenge. In the last decade several state and federal legislative initiatives, agency reports, and advocacy efforts have offered recommendations for addressing workforce challenges across the various mental health disciplines. Texas continues to face critical shortages for […]
Read more »Maternal Mental Health and Substance Use
Maternal deaths resulting from mental health conditions and substance use have become pervasive across Texas and the nation, prompting responses from federal and state governments. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, the national “maternal mortality rate is the highest of any developed nation in the world and more than double the […]
Read more »Medicaid
As of late 2023, 81.4 million people in the United States are covered by Medicaid and around 4.7 million of those individuals reside in Texas., Medicaid remains the largest payer of mental health services in the country and is continuously covering more substance use services as well. Around 40 percent of the non-elderly adult population […]
Read more »Creating Safe and Supportive Schools
The unimaginable tragedies, crises, and conversations happening in kids’ lives deeply affect their ability to learn and a school’s ability to provide safe and supportive environment. Schools have a great deal at stake in addressing mental health concerns, including the implications for academic performance. Learning is inextricably connected to a student’s mental health. When students […]
Read more »Current Mental Health Crisis in Child Welfare
Children involved in Child Protective Services (CPS) often have serious and chronic mental health needs due to the trauma they have endured both in and outside of the child welfare system. Further, unmet mental health and substance use needs remain a reason for some families’ involvement with the child welfare system despite ongoing efforts to […]
Read more »Suicide Prevention
Since 2000, suicide rates in Texas have steadily risen by nearly 37 percent. While there was a promising decrease in suicide rates across the country between 2019-20, a reversal of these effects were evident by 2021, as suicide numbers and rates increased in conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic. This continued into 2022 with over 4,300 […]
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LGBTQIA+ Community
Ensuring access to inclusive and safe mental health services is vital for the mental health and well-being of the LGBTQIA+ community. Discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons has been associated with high rates of psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, and suicide.
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Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community
Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities face unique challenged related to mental health.
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Migrant Mental Health
Regardless of means of immigration, the trauma and violence many people, especially asylum seekers and refugees, face before, during, and after migration should be acknowledged
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Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face unique challenges throughout their lives and may have a combination of complex needs, including mental health challenges.
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Rural Mental Health
Accessing behavioral health services remains a significant challenge in rural Texas communities.
Read more »Behavioral Health Equity
Behavioral health equity is the appropriate distribution of behavioral health resources dependent on individual, group, and community levels of need. This then promotes the right of all individuals to have fair and equal access to high-quality and affordable healthcare services and support, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, gender, disability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or geographical […]
Read more »Environmental Factors of Mental Health
*The language in this section was developed based on a review of similar research studies that utilize different terminology to describe the same concept. The assumption that environmental factors (e.g., social, non-medical, and physical environments) influence health and well-being is not a new development. Non-medical Drivers of Health (NMDoH) is a concept that details how […]
Read more »Forensic Mental Health: State Hospitals, Redesign, and the Office of the State Forensic Director
Overview of the Texas State Hospital System The state’s inpatient psychiatric facilities, also known as state hospitals, remain an area of focus for legislators and mental health stakeholders. The state hospital system is intended to meet the needs of people experiencing the highest level of crisis with limited financial resources and insurance coverage and people […]
Read more »Children’s Mental Health
Over the past two decades, rates of Texan children who have felt hopeless, struggled with anxiety or depression, and have experienced suicidal ideation have been rising. It is incumbent on communities, youth-serving systems, and the state to put every resource toward strengthening protective factors in communities that prevent youth deaths by suicide, overdose, and violence. […]
Read more »The Intersection of COVID-19 and Mental Health and Wellness
In our last edition of this Guide, we recognized the numerous consequences the COVID-19 pandemic had on individuals, families, communities, and our country. Two years later, we continue to express our heartfelt sadness and offer our sympathies to those with first-hand experience of COVID-19, especially those who have lost family members and friends. We know […]
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