HEALTH & JUSTICE IN THE NEWS
Thursday, January 27, 2022
Criminal Justice
Flaws plague a tool meant to help low-risk people in federal prison win early release
NPR, 1/26/22
Thousands of people are leaving federal prison this month thanks to a law called the First Step Act, which allowed them to win early release by participating in programs aimed at easing their return to society. But thousands of others may still remain behind bars because of fundamental flaws in the Justice Department's method for deciding who can take the early-release track. The biggest flaw: persistent racial disparities that put Black and brown people at a disadvantage. In a report issued days before Christmas in 2021, the department said its algorithmic tool for assessing the risk that a person in prison would return to crime produced uneven results. The algorithm, known as Pattern, overpredicted the risk that many Black, Hispanic and Asian people would commit new crimes or violate rules after leaving prison. At the same time, it also underpredicted the risk for some people of color in prison when it came to possible return to violent crime.
Substance Use, Treatment, & Recovery
‘It’s saved many lives’: first US overdose prevention centers give safe spaces to people in crisis
The Guardian, 1/25/22
..Ron, whose last name has been withheld for privacy, has used heroin for years, but the New York opening of the nation’s first two sanctioned overdose prevention centers (OPCs) on 30 November has significantly increased his chances of survival. The center provides those who use substances with a safe and clean space to do so, and with help available in case of an overdose, which has already helped avert many deaths…. Since the centers opened, over 100 overdoses have been reversed without medical attention; an ambulance was requested once, for a participant with additional medical complications. No one has died at either center, nor at any of the more than 120 OPCs operating in other countries.
Stigma, Lack of Training Stunt OUD Care Access in the ED
Patient Engagement Hit, 1/27/22
The emergency department can be a negative place for individuals with untreated opioid use disorder (OUD), who in a recent JAMA Network Open study described stigma, lack of understanding of pain or medical need, and limited access to OUD treatment. These study findings suggest a need to better train ED providers in treating individuals with OUD, particularly in patient-provider communication and OUD treatment, the researchers said. OUD treatment, particularly treatment using buprenorphine and other drugs involved in medication-assisted treatment, can be hard to come by. Particularly, patients with untreated OUD face social stigma, limited knowledge about OUD treatment, and socioeconomic hurdles keeping them from treatment. What’s more, key racial health disparities have emerged regarding OUD treatment access.
Mental Health
New Report Shows Health Plans Fall Short on Mental Health and Substance Use Coverage
Partnership to End Addiction, January 2022
Health plans and insurance companies are not providing parity in mental health and substance use disorder benefits, according to a new government report. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 requires health insurance carriers to achieve coverage parity between mental health/substance use disorders and medical/surgical benefits, MarketWatch reports. The new report, from the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and the Treasury, cites examples of health plans and insurance carriers failing to ensure parity. One health plan excluded methadone and naltrexone as a treatment for substance use disorder. A health insurance carrier covered nutritional counseling for medical conditions such as diabetes, but not for conditions such as anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder.
Experts Call The Pandemic A Collective Trauma. Why Don't We Talk About It That Way? (audio)
NPR, 1/24/22
When we talk about the pandemic, we talk about stress. Burnout. Uncertainty. Isolation. We don't talk as much about trauma. But a growing number of mental health professionals say that's what people are experiencing as the pandemic drags on — and we may need a new way to talk about what they're going through. NPR's Kat Lonsdorf reports. Psychiatrist, neurologist and author Bessel van der Kolk explains how the brain processes and recovers from trauma. His 2004 book The Body Keeps the Score surged to the top of bestseller lists during the pandemic.
Youth
3 Factors Helped Teens Stay Mentally Healthy During Pandemic
HealthDay, 1/25/22
Support from family and friends, along with exercise and sufficient sleep, have helped protect teens' mental health during the pandemic, new research shows. The study also found that teen girls have been more likely than boys to suffer mental distress during the pandemic. For the study, researchers analyzed data gathered from more than 3,000 participants, aged 11 to 14, in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study — the largest long-term study of brain development and child health ever conducted in the United States — before and during the early months of the pandemic. The factors most strongly associated with protecting teens against stress, anxiety and depression were positive relationships (such as talking about plans for the coming day with parents or participating in family activities) and healthy behaviors, including physical activity and adequate sleep.
Many Marijuana Vendors Aim Advertising at Kids: Study
HealthDay, 1/21/22
Some recreational pot shops are using tricks from the old playbooks of alcohol and tobacco companies to target underage users on social media, a new study reports. Despite state laws restricting such marketing, researchers found marijuana retailers on social media promoting their wares with posts that: Featured cartoon characters like Snoopy, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Rick and Morty. Presented store-branded merchandise like caps and T-shirts. Offered discounts and deals, like a Memorial Day sale or a regular Friday special. "Those types of restricted content basically come from evidence around ways that tobacco and alcohol companies used to appeal to youth," said lead author Dr. Megan Moreno, division chief of general pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Around Illinois
Illinois Youth Survey highlights rising depression among local students
Effingham Daily News, 1/25/22
Depression among local students continues to climb, according to the 2020 Illinois Youth Survey. More than 20% of high school students have seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. Forty percent of students felt so sad and hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that they stopped doing some usual activities. This is a 7 percent increase from the 2018 survey. The Illinois Youth Survey was completed by students in Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Douglas, Moultrie and Shelby counties. Although the American School Counselor Association recommends a 250-to-1 ratio of students to school counselors, the national average is actually 424-to-1 for the 2019–2020 school year. Thompson explained that despite greater federal funding for education and mental health professionals, the regional office has struggled to recruit and retain all school personnel because of the pay and rural location.
Illinois will launch federally-funded mortgage assistance program this spring
Capitol News Illinois, 1/26/22
Beginning this spring, the Illinois Housing Development Authority will start accepting applications for homeowners experiencing financial hardship. The Illinois Emergency Homeowner Assistance Fund overseen by IHDA is a federally-funded program that is dedicated to assist Illinois homeowners that have struggled to pay their mortgage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Funded through the American Rescue Plan Act that passed Congress in March 2021, $387 million will be available through the emergency assistance fund for homeowners. The ARPA funds provided assistance for rent and utilities, as well as $387 million for the soon-to-launch mortgage assistance program. Homeowners will be able to apply for a grant of up to $30,000 that will eliminate or reduce arrearages associated with homeownership. Funds can also be used to prevent mortgage delinquencies and defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities or home energy services and displacement of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after Jan. 21, 2020.
Rural Mental Health and the Farm Family Resource Initiative
WCIA| Champaign, IL, 1/25/22
Initiated through the legislative leadership of Senator Bennett, the Farm Family Resource Initiative is a program of SIU School of Medicine and the Illinois Department of Agriculture. The SIU School of Medicine’s Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development built a statewide network of support and resources for Illinois farm families, starting in six counties: Christian, Logan, Macon, Macoupin, Morgan and Sangamon. Area farmers who need someone to talk to about the everyday stresses of farming and pandemic-related challenges can access the helpline at 1-833-FARM-SOS. Success with the program and more funding has led to the development of a statewide program. The Illinois Department of Agriculture and the SIU School of Medicine’s Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development are now partnering with the University of Illinois Extension to bring programs to all Illinoisans involved in agriculture.
Nearly 10,000 women traveled from out of state to have an abortion in Illinois in 2020 — a 29% increase
Chicago Tribune, 1/25/22
Nearly 10,000 women traveled from out of state to have an abortion in Illinois in 2020, a roughly 29% increase compared with the previous year, according to the most recent Illinois Department of Public Health data available. State health statistics show 9,686 out-of-state women terminated a pregnancy in Illinois in 2020, comprising about 21% of all 46,243 abortions performed statewide. This was over 2,000 more than the 7,534 women who came here from another state in 2019. State data from 2021 was not available.
Illinois Courts COVID-19 Information and Updates
The Illinois Judicial Branch continues to monitor the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. This page lists changes to procedures and proceedings in courts across the state. The site is updated with new information as it becomes available.
Health & Justice in the News is a summary of recent news stories relating to criminal justice, mental health, addiction, recovery, and related issues. It is compiled and published by TASC each Monday and Thursday.
Some headlines and text have been altered by TASC for clarity or emphasis, or to minimize discriminatory or stigmatizing language. Opinions in the articles and op-eds do not necessarily express the views of TASC or our staff or partners.
