Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Years Of Delay, Golden Gate Bridge's Suicide Nets Are Finished
Suicide-prevention barriers at San Francisco鈥檚 Golden Gate Bridge have been completed more than a decade later. 鈥淲e have a continuous physical suicide barrier installed the full length of the 1.7-mile bridge on the east and the west side. The bridge is sealed up,鈥 said Dennis Mulligan, general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. The barriers are already working as intended, he added. (Rodriguez, 1/3)
If you are in need of help 鈥
Texas is sending $50 million to Montgomery County to build a new mental health treatment center to expand the number of beds and facilities to address behavioral health illnesses across the state. Senate Bill 30, which was effective in September, allocates about $3 billion for new mental health facilities. (Dominguez, 1/4)
Westchester County is building a network of mobile crisis response teams, trained experts who respond to mental and behavioral health emergencies. Now a new state law "green lights" helping them get where they're needed, faster. ... "Individuals with mental health needs should be approached and helped, not by law enforcement, but by professionals who are trained in mental health and mental health crisis," said Joe Glazer, of the county's Department of Community Mental Health. (Aiello, 1/4)
In Harris County, thousands of students continue to grapple with the long shadow of grief cast by the deaths of parents and caregivers from COVID-19. Yet today, with federal stimulus funding for schools drawing to an end and state lawmakers dedicating virtually no additional money for public schools during the 2023 legislative session, education leaders are starting to make tough choices about whether to maintain mental health support for children. Their decisions will have lifelong effects on students quietly struggling with their anguish. Researchers have found the sudden loss of a parent trumps all other traumas when it comes to impact on academic performance. (Lehrer-Small, 1/5)
On a November afternoon inside Robert Abbott Middle School, six eighth grade girls quickly filed into a small but colorful classroom and seated themselves in a circle.聽Yuli Paez-Naranjo, a Working on Womanhood counselor, sported a purple WOW T-shirt as she led the group in a discussion about how values can inform decisions. (Hayes, 1/4)
On the use of psychedelics 鈥
Herb Daniels attempted suicide twice before he decided he'd try anything to make life livable again. The 52-year-old former Green Beret had traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. ... In July 2022, Daniels booked a trip to Tijuana to become part of an experimental psychoactive treatment. He knew little about ibogaine, a psychedelic derived from the root bark of a plant from the African rainforest, and neither do many U.S. scientists. But he signed up for the treatment anyway, along with other combat veterans, compelled reports of its curative potential. (Cuevas, 1/5)
Atai Life Sciences NV agreed to acquire a stake in smaller rival Beckley Psytech to expand its portfolio of drug candidates for the treatment of mental health conditions. The German psychedelic drug maker firm is buying 35.5% of UK-based Beckley for $50 million, according to a statement Thursday, which confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report. It will also receive warrants that could give it more stock in the future. (Henning, 1/4)
