By Lisa King, PsyD According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) approximately 20 percent of the US population experiences symptoms of mental illness (mild to severe in nature). Around five percent of the US population suffer from a severe mental illness which is defined as “a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious…
Synchronizing primary care and behavioral healthcare for patients
By Candace Shireman Kentucky Integrated Care was established in September 2017. Embedded within Seven Counties Services, it serves the following counties in Kentucky, which surround the Louisville metropolitan area: Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble counties. The program was launched as a five-year project to synchronize primary care with behavioral healthcare. This mission…
The impact of COVID-19 and social injustice on youth of color
By Jermaine Ash-Shahid Ali, MD and coauthored by Nubia Ali Racial inequality impacts every aspect of life in this country for youth of color. The COVID- 19 pandemic has exacerbated the inequalities and injustices youth of color endure. As a black physician, I have asked myself, “What can I do to help?” It is fundamental…
Racial trauma and the negative impact on health of persons of color
Steven Kniffley Jr., PsyD, is a clinical psychologist who leads Spalding University’s Collective Care Center – one of the nation’s only behavioral health clinics to specialize in treating race-based trauma and stress. Since 2018, he has served as associate director of Spalding’s Center for Behavioral Health training clinic, of which the Collective Care Center is a specialty division. Kniffley’s…
Kentucky proposes plan to expand Medicaid coverage for inmates
By Sarah Charles Wright Kentucky’s rate of fatal overdoses climbed again last year by five percent, according to the Office of Drug Control and Policy, and has continued to increase substantially in 2020, as substance use disorder (SUD) treatment is complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to treatment for all who need it has always…
HEN aims to help grow the health-related community with strategic partners
By Sally McMahon The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted Louisville’s economic system, including our region’s healthcare sector. Our companies, organizations and institutions have faced many challenges since the pandemic began, but they are also finding ways to succeed in the new normal. The Health Enterprises Network (HEN) lead a discussion with Louisville’s leading economic development partners…