Mental Health Funding, Treatment Options In California Lag Even As Cases Rise
Since 1995, California’s population has increased by more than 7 million people, but the facilities and beds for acute psychiatric care have decreased.
Orange County Register:
A Look At The Prevalence Of Mental Illness In California And The U.S.
Every Southern California county has experienced an upward trend in the rate at which children under 18 years are hospitalized for a mental health issue. ...Since 1995, California’s population has increased by more than 7 million people, but the facilities and beds for acute psychiatric care have decreased. (Snibbe, 11/11)
In other news —
Ventura County Star:
Ventura County To Discuss Option Of Exploring Legal Action Against Opioid Makers
Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett wants the county government to consider the option of fighting the opioid epidemic a different way — in court. Bennett is asking the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to authorize county lawyers to explore the pros and cons of joining one of the many lawsuits being filed against pharmaceutical companies that make and distribute opioids. (Kisken, 11/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Widow Caresses Husband’s Transplanted Face
Sixteen months after transplant surgery gave Sandness the face that had belonged to Calen “Rudy” Ross, he met the woman who had agreed to donate her high school sweetheart’s visage to a man who lived nearly a decade without one. The two came together last month in a meeting arranged by the Mayo Clinic, the same place where Sandness underwent a 56-hour surgery that was the clinic’s first such transplant. (Potter, 11/11)
Capital Public Radio:
Foster Farms Donating Turkey To Food Banks Affected By Wildfires
Food banks in California were hard hit by this year’s wildfires, and that will make it difficult to provide all the fixings for a Thanksgiving dinner to those in need. Foster Farms is trying to answer that need by donating 126,000 pounds of turkey this holiday season. (Ibarra, 11/10)