Mental health crisis systems redesigned: Focus on prevention, recovery
The need for behavioral health crisis services in the United States has never been stronger.
Traumatic national catastrophes, such as mass shootings, are on the rise. The opioid epidemic shows no signs of abating. The stigma around accessing mental health services persists. Suicide rates are high and rising. Access to mental health services remains elusive for many Americans.
Beacon’s ‘coach approach’ earns accolades
Peer specialists and recovery coaches have long been part of Beacon Health Options’ solutions for members.
For many years, they have helped Beacon members to reach their recovery and wellness goals through one-on-one coaching, advocacy and guidance.
Lori’s lessons in leadership: Insights from a winning Beacon leader
Beacon’s Rocky Hill office in Connecticut was named as one of the top 60 workplaces in Connecticut by Hartford Courant, the fourth win for that office.
The team won the award every year from 2011-2013 when Lori Szczygiel was Connecticut CEO, and now again following her return to the position two years ago. Eight hundred employers competed for a slot via an independently administered survey sent to more than 23,000 employees. . . . Lori Szczygiel shares her leadership insight with Beacon Lens.
Reshaping EAPs with digital technology
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) improve the lives of employees and the productivity of companies.
For example, engagement with an EAP leads to a 46 percent decrease in absenteeism; a 13 percent decrease in work distress; and a 20 percent increase in life satisfaction, according to one EAP trends report.
Digital technology: Friend or foe to mental health?
It’s clear that digital technology – especially in the form of social media – is here to stay.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – these are all household words by now. Digital technology has engaged healthcare as well; electronic health records, health apps and websites have ramped up the capacity for information-gathering and sharing, and perhaps even more relevant, actual treatment.
Dorms, dining halls and depression: College students at risk
The awareness of depression as a human condition is not modern or new.
The earliest written accounts of the condition emerged from the second millennium BC in Mesopotamia when it was seen as more spiritual than physical.
Know the signs: Help prevent a loved one’s suicide
Anna was one of the most talented and creative people I had ever known, and just about everyone who met her felt the same.
Anna was sadly successful, as she was in everything, in ending her life. . . .Unfortunately, the story of a Beacon Health Options employee’s friend is not unique or unfamiliar to many people. Often, the friends and families of people at risk for suicidal behavior disorder have no idea of that risk.
Confronting an opioid crisis: Beacon funding supports local efforts
Beacon Health Options (Beacon) believes that excellent health care is local health care.
Standing by that belief, Beacon is distributing $128,000 in grants to four community-based behavioral health organizations that are combatting the opioid crisis in Massachusetts at the grassroots level.
Beacon Health Options offers questions to ask and answer during Mental Health Awareness Month
In any given year, an astonishing 1 in 5 Americans will face mental illness. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., with more than 40 million lives affected. Additionally, about 16 million have major depression. But despite the prevalence of mental health conditions, only about a third of Americans seek treatment. Just as other illnesses – such as high blood pressure or diabetes – are treatable and manageable, so too are mental health issues. That’s why May has been designated as Mental Health Awareness Month, an observance developed to raise awareness of mental health issues and the stigma attached to them. At Beacon Health Options, our entire focus is on mental and behavioral health, because that’s…
Autism: Wide-ranging study reconfirms the need for care coordination
A study released on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the January issue of JAMA Psychiatry sheds new light on old knowledge – that individuals with ASD have a higher rate of co-occurring disorders than the general population.
However, the study raises the bar in two ways: 1) it draws on an unmatched amount of data – nearly 6 million people; and 2) provides greater insight into the association between pairs of conditions over time.