/ en Tue, 29 Apr 2025 02:24:59 -0500 Wed, 06 Nov 24 07:19:28 -0600 /advancing-health-podcast/2024-11-06-thinking-outside-box-reduce-behavioral-health-stigma-and-disparities <p>For historically underserved populations, stigma and lack of access to behavioral health services can present huge barriers to treatment. In this conversation, Matthew Hoag, director of integrated behavioral health at Denver Health, shares how the organization is innovating through integration to meet the behavioral health needs of its communities, including with its state-of-the-art mobile opioid treatment unit.</p><hr><div></div><div class="raw-html-embed"> <details class="transcript"> <summary> <h2 title="Click here to open/close the transcript."> <span>View Transcript</span><br>   </h2> </summary> <p>00:00:00:11 - 00:00:26:11<br> Tom Haederle<br> Often, people with severe mental illness lead shorter lives, sometimes up to 25 years less. For historically underserved populations and minorities, this can be compounded. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation report found that rates of death by suicide are rising faster among black, Hispanic, and other people of color than whites. There are many reasons for this, including access to care, stigma, and even implicit bias in the health care system itself.</p> <p>00:00:26:13 - 00:00:48:12<br> Tom Haederle<br> There isn't one magic solution to all of these problems, but as Denver Health has found out, the integrated care system goes a long way towards reducing health disparities and providing the care that patients need and deserve.</p> <p>00:00:48:15 - 00:01:11:13<br> Tom Haederle<br> Welcome to Advancing Health, a podcast from the șÚÁÏŐęÄÜÁż Association. I'm Tom Haederle with AHA communications. In this podcast, hosted by Rebecca Chickey, senior director of Behavioral Health Services with AHA, we learn how Denver Health's commitment to integration as a tool for increasing access to behavioral health has benefited the communities it serves by reducing stigma and health disparities.</p> <p>00:01:11:15 - 00:01:23:25<br> Tom Haederle<br> As Matthew Hoag, director of Integrated Behavioral Health for Denver Health, says, a patient can now discretely get all of their health conditions addressed in one place. And that's incredible. Here's Rebecca.</p> <p>00:01:23:28 - 00:02:07:12<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> It is my honor indeed to be here with Matthew Hoag from Denver Health. He has so much experience in the value of integrating physical and behavioral health. And it's an honor for myself and our listeners today to be able to listen and learn from him. Today, we're really going to focus on the value of integrating physical and behavioral health in terms of how it can help reduce health disparities for historically underserved communities, individuals, and communities of color, as well as those individuals who suffer from severe and persistent mental illness, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.</p> <p>00:02:07:15 - 00:02:50:06<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> The reason that these things are so important is what Matthew's going to share with us. But I want to put in just a couple of thoughts. One, when you hear what he says about the importance of integration and the value that that delivers for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, one of the really important things is that is what people often refer to as bi-directional integration, meaning individuals with severe mental illness often die 17 to 25 years earlier than those individuals without. And that's not due to suicide. That is due to their inability because of poor management in many cases of their mental illness.</p> <p>00:02:50:09 - 00:03:23:20<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> And then health disparities exist across the board for communities of color. And when you begin to look at it through the lens of behavioral health care, unfortunately, the magnitude of those disparities often goes up. So with that as general background, Matthew, can you tell me just a little bit about the realities - as I started talking about - and the vulnerabilities around mental health disparities, and what are those challenges that those individuals face?</p> <p>00:03:23:22 - 00:03:48:18<br> Matthew Hoag<br> Thank you. Rebecca. Before we start, too, I just want to acknowledge my privilege as a as a white male. And just hammer home that I choose to work in a community health center here at our Denver health hospital because I believe in our organization's mission to provide all in our community access to the highest quality and equitable health care, regardless of the patient's background or ability to pay</p> <p>00:03:48:18 - 00:04:18:15<br> Matthew Hoag<br> so really appreciate the opportunity to talk on these topics. You know, what we know is that an estimated 43% of people with mental health concerns are connected to care, and that's a pretty alarming statistic. Some of the realities and challenges for individuals of color, include implicit bias, which comes up quite a bit in how patients might be identified or selected for referrals to behavioral health or identified or even properly diagnosed.</p> <p>00:04:18:15 - 00:04:39:19<br> Matthew Hoag<br> And so this this plays a huge impact for individuals of color. The other thing that's kind of difficult within behavioral health is it can be very difficult to navigate our complex health system, but even more specifically, our sometimes complex behavioral health system, because it can be difficult to know what somebody feels like they need to be connected to.</p> <p>00:04:39:19 - 00:05:01:26<br> Matthew Hoag<br> And so if there isn't really good screening, really good assessments, sometimes individuals and families are at a loss of where to go or where to start, or who even to ask to begin that journey. I think another area that we see, and that we're trying really hard as an organization to impact, is a lack of diversity among our care teams.</p> <p>00:05:01:28 - 00:05:26:02<br> Matthew Hoag<br> We, at Denver Health have community health centers. And what I love about Denver Health is these community health centers are situated in very historic neighborhoods within Denver County, we're I think the fifth largest federally qualified health system in the country. We strive to have those clinics be a reflection of those communities they serve. Really requires us to have staff as a reflection of those patients.</p> <p>00:05:26:04 - 00:05:50:24<br> Matthew Hoag<br> Why that's important is because trust. Trust is incredibly important with the care team to be able to break down some of these racial disparities. Now, where does integrated behavioral health come in with this? I could talk about integrated behavioral health all day. We have really good research that shows that improves patient outcomes, reduce total cost of care, increase access above all to behavioral health.</p> <p>00:05:50:24 - 00:06:14:17<br> Matthew Hoag<br> And we also see that patients like what is incredibly valuable to me is that when I have a medical provider pull me in to consult with a patient for a behavioral health concern, sometimes that patient has been coming to that clinic for ten, 15 years. Their parents had gone there. Their parents still go there for care. Their kids get their vaccinations, get wellness exams there.</p> <p>00:06:14:21 - 00:06:35:22<br> Matthew Hoag<br> And so when I come into the room, I have this unparalleled level of support and trust already because that medical provider who has that trust with that patient says, this is Matt. He's an expert in X, Y, and Z depression, whatever substance treatment. And he wants to come talk with you to see how we can support that goal or support.</p> <p>00:06:35:22 - 00:06:41:19<br> Matthew Hoag<br> You know, let's talk a little bit more about, you know, what's going on over here. And that's the value of integrated care.</p> <p>00:06:41:21 - 00:07:15:15<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> You have talked about the importance of trust. The fact that it's real time, meaning you can call in a medical provider or you can be called in as the expert to help that patient real time. Is that something that you see has also been beneficial in terms of reducing the stigma, because you've used the term trust a couple of times, but often we hear the horrible word, the big thing in the room, the stigma of even seeking or talking about mental health treatment or my anxiety or panic attack.</p> <p>00:07:15:18 - 00:07:17:13<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> Is that another aspect of this?</p> <p>00:07:17:15 - 00:07:51:23<br> Matthew Hoag<br> Absolutely. Stigma, I'm glad you brought that up. Stigma is all about what we're trying to reduce and what our integrated behavioral health can be really substantial. Early on in my career with integrated behavioral health, I specialized within substance treatment and co-occurring as well with other behavioral conditions. But one thing I always when I walked into the room, as I always try to keep in the focus, that it is very likely that the individual that I'm about to meet has had a negative interaction or has been judged for a behavioral health or substance treatment condition at some point prior to meeting me.</p> <p>00:07:51:26 - 00:08:09:09<br> Matthew Hoag<br> And so I try to think about how I approach that from a culturally sensitive way, but also identify and create some safety where I can. I'm very fortunate to have that collaborative medical team to help with that trust, but it's something that we have to be very, very cognizant about because it is a reality that's in the room.</p> <p>00:08:09:11 - 00:08:32:09<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> It's so very important because stigma exists for all of us, regardless of your ethnicity, the location or culture that you've been brought up in, your skin color. But unfortunately for many, many different cultures and even genders, we still see the statistics show that women are more likely to ask for help than men, regardless of everything else.</p> <p>00:08:32:12 - 00:08:45:24<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> And then within certain cultures that stigma is at a much higher bar. So it's just uplifting and hopeful that, integration can address those in a way that is seamless in many ways.</p> <p>00:08:46:01 - 00:09:27:27<br> Matthew Hoag<br> Absolutely. And I think what folds into the trust piece is the cultural competency of our staff. And so, you know, our organization and our integrated behavioral team places part of our values as a team is around diversity, equity and inclusiveness and belonging and how that shows up in our clinical practice, being able to identify microaggressions within teams and being able to have open discussions about how that influences us as providers, but also impacts our ability to deliver effective clinical care. Something that is also really important with this - in order to have and to recruit for diverse care teams, is we often put a lot of emphasis on recruitment, but retention is also really</p> <p>00:09:27:27 - 00:09:32:00<br> Matthew Hoag<br> important for keeping that healthy for our teams.</p> <p>00:09:32:03 - 00:09:38:27<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> As we begin to wrap up, are there a couple of things that you think have made Denver Health's program successful?</p> <p>00:09:39:00 - 00:10:06:18<br> Matthew Hoag<br> I think the thing I most appreciate about where I work is the individuals I work with as well. We're a large organization, and we have done some pretty cool things that are a little out there, but we're not afraid to try that. One particular project I want to highlight is we just last year launched a mobile opioid treatment unit, and this was a collaboration between our brick and mortar opioid treatment program and our community health services.</p> <p>00:10:06:18 - 00:10:27:15<br> Matthew Hoag<br> And so this mobile unit actually goes out to two of our qualified health centers, our eastside and westside clinic. And we do walk-ins for opioid treatment, particularly for methadone. And what's amazing about that is if, you know, you know how sometimes there's some realities and difficulties with accessing Opidone and it's, you know, very regulated, very structured.</p> <p>00:10:27:18 - 00:10:46:12<br> Matthew Hoag<br> You usually have to go really early in the morning to receive that. We did something where we enhanced a lot of current patients care, because we have patients who go to the Eastside Health Center, then go across town to you know, their opioid treatment program. It's not quite integrated, but what I would call is it's very co-located and very collaborative.</p> <p>00:10:46:15 - 00:11:07:05<br> Matthew Hoag<br> But a patient can discreetly now get all of their health conditions addressed in one place. And that's incredible. Especially with fentanyl opioid epidemic being able to enhance care in a way that is trauma informed as well as, kind of helping break down some of those barriers to access. I like that we get to do that.</p> <p>00:11:07:10 - 00:11:15:12<br> Matthew Hoag<br> I'm incredibly grateful, and it feels incredibly special to be able to try to do things like that, to really enhance care for all of our patients.</p> <p>00:11:15:15 - 00:11:37:06<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> So the key point, I think, for the listeners is to not be afraid to try. That was unusual. That's out of the box. I think sometimes when we're young, we try everything, right? Sometimes to the demise of our parents or whoever is bringing us up. But we're not afraid to try. And sometimes I think the world changes that perspective.</p> <p>00:11:37:07 - 00:11:56:04<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> So, we need to remember. Don't be afraid to try, because you're all you're trying to do is to improve outcomes and reduce the cost of care and improve somebody's life. Thank you so much for sharing your time and your expertise with us today. Thank you for the work that you're doing across the fine mountain city of Denver.</p> <p>00:11:56:06 - 00:11:59:01<br> Rebecca Chickey<br> And thank you for your passion for your work.</p> <p>00:11:59:03 - 00:12:00:12<br> Matthew Hoag<br> Thanks for having me.</p> <p>00:12:00:14 - 00:12:08:25<br> Tom Haederle<br> Thanks for listening to Advancing Health. Please subscribe and rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.</p> </details> </div> Wed, 06 Nov 2024 07:19:28 -0600 Stigma /news/headline/2024-09-24-hundreds-hospitals-recognized-clinical-well-being-champions <p>The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation Sept. 24 <a href="https://drlornabreen.org/record-number-of-licensure-boards-and-hospitals-take-action-to-prevent-suicide-for-the-healthcare-workforce/">recognized</a> 34 licensure boards and 375 hospitals for changing invasive and stigmatizing mental health questions in their licensing applications. <br><br>"Hospitals and health systems are deeply committed to supporting the mental well-being of their workforces," said Robyn Begley, D.N.P., AHA chief nursing officer and American Organization for Nursing Leadership CEO. "We are seeing more health organizations adopt credentialing applications free from intrusive mental health questions and stigmatizing language. No health care worker should feel ashamed or experience barriers in seeking any health care services.” <br><br>Begley and Chris DeRienzo, M.D., AHA chief physician executive and senior vice president, have <a href="/news/blog/2023-09-19-revisiting-clinician-credentialing-support-well-being">encouraged</a> hospitals and health systems to ensure that the questions asked on licensing, credentialing and other applications don’t perpetuate stigma or deter team members from seeking behavioral health services when needed.</p> Tue, 24 Sep 2024 14:59:11 -0500 Stigma /advancing-health-podcast/2024-05-20-leadership-dialogue-series-behavioral-health-solutions-jeremy-musher-md-lifepoint-health <p>Across the country, hospitals and health systems are moving to fully integrate behavioral health treatment as a core part of patient-centered care. In this conversation, Joanne M. Conroy, M.D., CEO and president of Dartmouth Health and 2024 AHA board chair, talks with Jeremy Musher, M.D., chief behavioral medical officer at Lifepoint Health, about common obstacles in the behavioral health field, including access and reimbursement, as well as ways to approach mental health stigmas.</p><hr><div></div><div class="raw-html-embed"> <details class="transcript"> <summary> <h2 title="Click here to open/close the transcript."> <span>View Transcript</span><br>   </h2> </summary> <p> 00;00;01;03 - 00;00;23;00<br> Tom Haederle<br> Health care providers coast-to-coast have seen a significant rise in the past several years in the demand for behavioral health services. Broadly speaking, behavioral health encompasses those things that affect overall well-being, including mental health issues and substance use disorders. Many hospitals and health systems want to fully integrate behavioral health treatment as a core part of patient centered care. </p> <p> 00;00;23;05 - 00;00;37;15<br> Tom Haederle<br> But there are barriers that often stand in the way and make it more difficult. </p> <p> 00;00;37;18 - 00;01;14;19<br> Tom Haederle<br> Welcome to Advancing Health, a podcast from the șÚÁÏŐęÄÜÁż Association. I'm Tom Haederle with AHA communications. In this month's Leadership Dialogue Series podcast, Dr. Joanne Conroy, CEO and president of Dartmouth Health and 2024 Board Chair of the șÚÁÏŐęÄÜÁż Association, explores how hospitals and health systems can best meet the need for behavioral health services with Dr. Jeremy Musher, chief behavioral medical officer at Lifepoint Health in Brentwood, Tennessee. They discuss how to overcome some common obstacles to effective treatment, including access issues, reimbursement challenges, and the stigma of receiving treatment. </p> <p> 00;01;14;21 - 00;01;18;15<br> Tom Haederle<br> And, they offer possible solutions. Let's join them. </p> <p> 00;01;18;17 - 00;01;46;28<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> Thank you for joining us for another deep dive into a very important topic on the Leadership Dialog series. It's great to be with you. I'm Joanne Conroy, CEO and president of Dartmouth Health and the current chair of the șÚÁÏŐęÄÜÁż Association Board of Trustees. Today's discussion is critically important and it impacts all of us. It can be our own experience or the experience of a family member or a friend. </p> <p> 00;01;47;00 - 00;02;20;09<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> And the issue is mental health. We know concerns around mental health have only worsened over the past few years. Those needing mental health services have long been stigmatized, and unfortunately, reimbursement for their care has been lagging for decades. Access to adequate mental health is perhaps the single most challenging obstacle that we all face as health care professionals at this moment in time. And finding these services is even more difficult in rural areas. </p> <p> 00;02;20;11 - 00;02;50;14<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> With the mental health crisis worsening, hospitals and health systems are finding themselves more active in developing an advocating for solutions. At Dartmouth Health, like other organizations, we're working to build a stronger infrastructure to meet our patients behavioral health needs. Across the continuum of care. And we are super fortunate today to have our guest, Dr. Jeremy Musher, who's chief behavioral medical director at Lifepoint Health. </p> <p> 00;02;50;17 - 00;03;14;19<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> Lifepoint Health is a health care delivery network with facilities in 31 states. The system includes 60 community hospitals, but also more than 60 behavioral health or rehab hospitals, along with hundreds of other sites of care that span the health care continuum. Jeremy, before we jump into our discussion, I know that the audience really likes to get to know our guests a bit. </p> <p> 00;03;14;22 - 00;03;31;23<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> So I'm going to ask you to please share a little bit more about yourself and your journey into health care, specifically towards behavioral health. And I also wonder if our paths may have crossed the South Carolina when you were at the University of South Carolina, because I was in Charleston for a long time. </p> <p> 00;03;31;25 - 00;03;58;13<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> I don't recall our paths crossing, but, we may have. I was there for a while. Actually, I started, doing my residency. I completed that in the Navy. So I was, Armed Forces scholarship student and, did my residency in the Navy and then was on active duty for a total of about six years. As you mentioned, I've worked in academia. </p> <p> 00;03;58;15 - 00;04;28;08<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> I was, the residency training director or vice chair of the Department of psychiatry and associate dean for student affairs at the University of South Carolina. And in more recent years, I was the medical director for the psychiatric emergency services at Western Psychiatric at the University of Pittsburgh. I've also in the past been a psychiatric surveyor for CMS under the conditions of participation. </p> <p> 00;04;28;11 - 00;04;58;05<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> And then for about 25 years had a private consulting company working with psychiatric hospitals and systems to ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines. I've also represented the American Psychiatric Association as the advisor to both the CBT panel and the RV Update Committee for about 15 years. About eight years ago, I joined the national psychiatric company Springstone as the chief medical officer and chief clinical officer. </p> <p> 00;04;58;07 - 00;05;09;14<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> And then we were acquired, a year ago February, by Lifepoint Health. And now we are the Lifepoint Behavioral Health within Lifepoint. </p> <p> 00;05;09;16 - 00;05;38;07<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> So behavioral health has become an incredibly important aspect of delivering care, not just at a facility level, but at a system level, which is probably behind the acquisition of Springstone by Lifepoint, really understanding that they had a gap in their services that they had to fill. But that gap has gotten wider during the pandemic and the economic challenges of the last few years. </p> <p> 00;05;38;07 - 00;05;48;21<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> And I think people believe that, you know, access is still very, very difficult. What trends have you observed as you kind of look from a national level? </p> <p> 00;05;48;23 - 00;06;26;05<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> According to the World Health Organization. in the first year of Covid, the global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by about 25%. And in the United States, before the pandemic, about 8.5% of adults experienced elevated depressive symptoms. But in the early months of the pandemic in 2020, that number climbed to almost 28%. 2021 it was about a third of all U.S. adults, about 33%. Among young people aged 10 to 24 </p> <p> 00;06;26;07 - 00;07;03;29<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> suicide is the second leading cause of death in the US., with rates rising for decades. Between 2016 and 2022, children's hospitals saw 166% increase in ER visits for suicide attempts and self-injury among children 5 to 18. Youth suicide during Covid increased. The median monthly overdose deaths among persons age 10 to 19 increased over 100%, with 90% of those involving opioids, most of which were fentanyl. </p> <p> 00;07;04;01 - 00;07;25;22<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> So you are looking at this from a national level, though, and I'm sure you say, why? As a group of leading health professionals, especially around pediatrics, those are scary statistics. As leaders, how do you devise a solution for that? Or how do you create a safety net for that? It seems an incredibly difficult problem to put your arm around. </p> <p> 00;07;25;24 - 00;08;12;28<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> It is. And it really takes coordination and cooperation amongst, both the health care providers as well as the government. Right now and for some time, part of the difficulty in gaining access for patients has been because there aren't enough psychiatrists, there aren't enough behavioral health providers. Part of that is reimbursement issues...the barriers to access that CMS has, because of rules that haven't changed over many years, including Medicare, has a 190 day limit to lifetime mental health admissions. </p> <p> 00;08;13;00 - 00;08;59;29<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> The institutions of mental disease, the IMD exclusion prohibits Medicaid from paying for psychiatric admissions and freestanding psychiatric hospitals for people aged 21 to 64. And something we struggle with all the time is the inpatient documentation and staffing requirements CMS has under the two special conditions of participation. All of these things, along with the payers and their authorization limits that psychiatry has that are different frequently than acute care, make it difficult to provide the services that so many people need. </p> <p> 00;09;00;03 - 00;09;24;06<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> So let's talk a little bit about that pediatric population. We had a seminar for adolescent behavioral health a couple of years ago, I think. It was after the first wave of the pandemic when we thought it was safe, even though it really wasn't over. But we, you know all met in a ballroom, really kind of talking about the issues that adolescents and kids were facing. </p> <p> 00;09;24;09 - 00;09;51;10<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> And what amazed me was the burden that we put on school nurses, and probably the lack of infrastructure to support them. Because they're kind of on the front line in the school systems, identifying some of these needs. It's a kind of a really robust kind of health system, or the alternative sites where you can actually identify these kids early and maybe get them help. </p> <p> 00;09;51;12 - 00;10;02;03<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> Is that on the radar screen? It's almost like not just giving care within your facilities, but what are you doing in the community to really identify these kids early on? </p> <p> 00;10;02;05 - 00;10;41;18<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> Well, we do work in some of our locations with local school systems, for instance Most of the work we do is, unfortunately, after they've been identified and come to the hospitals. But with the education that goes on, both we provide and many others provide in the communities, it is that identification comes earlier. We have in all of our freestanding psychiatric hospitals, an assessment area, sort of like, mini emergency room. </p> <p> 00;10;41;20 - 00;11;23;02<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> And we see adolescents come all the time where we're able to give a screening and an evaluation and determine if their services are needed and if so, what level of care. So that helps get adolescents and sometimes younger kids into the system of care. We also work with primary care providers and pediatricians in terms of providing the kinds of backup and expertise that sometimes they need in order to treat more severely ill, kids. </p> <p> 00;11;23;05 - 00;11;50;08<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> You know, we've invested heavily in telehealth, and we offer a lot of tele psychiatry, both to our emergency rooms, but even to our primary care clinics, if they have questions about resources or a diagnosis or a child where a telesite visit can actually help. How prevalent is that across the industry and is it something that we should invest more heavily in? </p> <p> 00;11;50;08 - 00;11;58;07<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> Or if you had money to invest, where would you invest it to help kids in the best possible way? </p> <p> 00;11;58;09 - 00;12;32;00<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> Definitely telehealth would the high on the list. We've been doing telehealth and psychiatry for years before the pandemic. But it really took off during the pandemic. And we've found that we can do groups, via Telehealth, as you said, we can consult with ERs. Even CMS has seen, there are so many advantages to the use of telehealth, predominantly from an access standpoint. </p> <p> 00;12;32;03 - 00;13;03;28<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> They have lowered the barrier to access on telehealth and particularly for behavioral health, going forward. So the site of service won't matter anymore the way it used to. Telehealth makes a big difference. What we've found in our system is the patient satisfaction is, in most cases, equivalent to in-person visits. </p> <p> 00;13;04;01 - 00;13;24;25<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> Plus, you don't have the difficulties of transportation. And so long as the insurers paid for it, that doesn't become a barrier. So, yes, telehealth, for sure would be one of the important areas to increase access going forward. </p> <p> 00;13;24;27 - 00;13;51;18<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> Almost 80% of our behavioral health visits are virtual now, and the no-show rate is almost zero. And, you know, we don't always, think about the stigma that was associated with seeing a psychologist or a psychiatrist for not only a child, but even an adult. You all remember where you would enter one way and you'd exit another way. </p> <p> 00;13;51;20 - 00;14;18;14<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> It was like reinforcing the stigma, although I totally understand why people did it, but it kind of validated that for everybody. There was a stigma to going to see a behavioral health expert. You know, we are doing some things up here at the college that are really interesting, where people can sense from how a adolescent actually interacts with their phone in terms of texting, identifying behavioral health issues early on. </p> <p> 00;14;18;17 - 00;14;31;22<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> Have you heard of a lot of research in that realm, like how do we take a technology that we think causes isolation and try to use it to identify diagnoses before they actually manifest in different ways? </p> <p> 00;14;31;24 - 00;15;24;19<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> Actually, there's been some, I think really interesting research going on. It's not out in the wild so much yet, but, there are apps, that they are working on, on iPhones and other phones, that use, for instance, the accelerometer in the phone to measure movement of the individual. And by using algorithms and AI you can use that information and other information - calls, texting, use of online access, etc. - to say, for instance, this individual has been reducing their movement over this period of time. </p> <p> 00;15;24;21 - 00;15;58;06<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> Maybe they're depressed or other use of the phone to help identify. And then, the apps can proactively reach out to the individual and ask, are you feeling okay? Would you like to reach out to your therapist? Would you like to find a therapist? Those kinds of things. So yeah, we are seeing technology start to be used in ways that I think will make a huge difference. </p> <p> 00;15;58;08 - 00;16;21;29<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> We're also seeing CBT - cognitive behavioral therapy is an evidence based form of therapy for anxiety and some forms of depression, etc.- and there are apps that you can use on your phone or online that help walk through some CBT treatment. </p> <p> 00;16;22;02 - 00;16;51;17<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> Wow. And so with technology, although the cause of isolation may be some of the answer to isolation for many individuals in the future, Lifepoint acquired your organization for probably a specific purpose. What do they want to achieve at the Lifepoint health system level, and what would they like to achieve at the community level by adding you to their portfolio of health care services? </p> <p> 00;16;51;19 - 00;17;25;19<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> Before we were acquired, Lifepoint Health had acquired Kindred Rehab about a year before us, and kindred had a couple of behavioral health hospitals. They had just started some interest in, behavioral health hospitals. But by acquiring Springstone, we brought to the table, 18 freestanding psychiatric hospitals, as well as about 35 outpatient clinics, across nine states. </p> <p> 00;17;25;21 - 00;18;04;16<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> So it was a way for Lifepoint to essentially jump start their development of behavioral health resources. In addition, they already had, behavioral health units in many of their acute care hospitals. And so now across...we have about 2,500 inpatient psychiatric beds when you combine the behavioral health units in acute care hospitals with now 24 freestanding psychiatric hospitals across 31 states. </p> <p> 00;18;04;19 - 00;19;01;22<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> So the idea in acquiring us was to get more involved in meeting needs in the communities of patients who needed behavioral health services and they weren't getting them. And part of the model going forward has been to develop joint ventures with predominantly med surge hospital systems who don't have enough behavioral health resources. And so by forming a joint venture with Lifepoint, we together can build a freestanding psychiatric hospital, for instance, or, work in the communities and bring those much needed behavioral health resources to the communities, particularly to more rural communities. </p> <p> 00;19;01;24 - 00;19;12;01<br> Jeremy Musher, M.D.<br> The mission for Lifepoint is making communities healthier. And that's what we're moving to do as quickly as we can. </p> <p> 00;19;12;04 - 00;19;37;08<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> Well thank you. You know, this topic is one that I think everybody will benefit listening to. And I want to encourage anyone who is struggling with feelings of anxiety or depression to please reach out to someone who can help. You can also visit the AHA.org or AHA's Physicians Alliance website for additional resources that are focused on stress, coping and mental health for health care workers. </p> <p> 00;19;37;11 - 00;19;46;29<br> Joanne M. Conroy, M.D.<br> Thank you again, Jeremy. And until next time, thank you everyone for joining us today. I hope you'll be back for next month's Leadership Dialog. </p> <p> 00;19;47;01 - 00;19;55;12<br> Tom Haederle<br> Thanks for listening to Advancing Health. Please subscribe and write us five stars on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. </p> </details> </div> Mon, 20 May 2024 08:05:00 -0500 Stigma /news/headline/2024-02-26-new-people-matter-words-matter-poster-addresses-eating-disorders <p>Released during National Eating Disorder Awareness week, the latest AHA People Matter, Words Matter poster encourages compassionate and caring language when talking about eating disorders, which kill one person every 52 minutes. <a href="/system/files/media/file/2024/02/PMWM-eating-disorders.pdf" target="_blank"><strong>DOWNLOAD THE POSTER</strong></a></p> Mon, 26 Feb 2024 14:40:32 -0600 Stigma /news/blog/2022-07-13-how-respectful-dialogue-can-reduce-mental-health-stigma <p>This month we celebrate National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, so it is appropriate that we consider the impact of our words as we work to reduce the stigma around mental health issues. This is especially true as it pertains to minority populations. Words matter, because in our choice of words we guide others down positive or negative pathways in how they respond and think about a given issue. Moments matter, because on any given day we have hundreds of opportunities to choose words that create awareness and educate others to better possibilities. As professionals, we often spend a great deal of time in preparing for public presentations, being thoughtful about the words we choose, how we present and all the other factors we account for as we hope to educate, change perspectives or invite healthy discussion. Too often we lack the same amount of attention in our conversations and brief interactions that we have with staff, other colleagues and sometimes patients throughout the day. Recently, AHA created a stigma-reduction campaign entitled <a href="/people-matter-words-matter" target="_blank">“People Matter, Words Matter.”</a> This campaign includes <a href="/system/files/media/file/2021/07/PMWM-culturally-aware-language.pdf" target="_blank">posters</a> that provide excellent examples of how one might respond to some examples of language that does not demonstrate cultural or racial awareness.</p> <p>Yale New Haven Health has a developed a broad array of learning resources around diversity, equity and inclusion. I believe the most valuable and effective program that has been implemented is the B.R.A.V.E. program. The acronym stands for Bold/Relevant/Authentic/Valuable/Educational. The program was developed with the goal of creating a safe space for conversations around racism, racial equality and racial healing, but the concepts are easily expanded and applied to reducing the stigma of mental health in the cultural and ethnic minority populations. The steps are essentially:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Reinforce the purpose</strong> – create a safe space to share concerns and feelings around comments that you hear.</li> <li><strong>Set agreements to encourage open and respectful dialogue</strong> - listen, acknowledge discomfort, be compassionate and avoid negative language. Assume good intent and value the other person’s feelings.</li> <li><strong>Open the conversation with your personal story and engage others</strong> - share how the experience impacted you and invite others to do the same.</li> <li><strong>Bring the conversation to a close and thank them for the courage to share and listen</strong> - encourage people to think about what they can do to impact change and act.</li> </ul> <p>The next time you are walking down the hallway and overhear negative comments, take the moment, choose the words, and have a brave conversation.</p> <p><em>Mark Sevilla is vice president of behavioral health and emergency services for Yale New Haven Hospital.</em></p> Wed, 13 Jul 2022 13:42:16 -0500 Stigma /news/headline/2022-04-13-aha-resource-people-matter-words-matter-poster-supportive-language <p>The AHA yesterday launched the newest poster in its <a href="/people-matter-words-matter">People Matter, Words Matter</a> series, a collaborative effort with the National Center for PTSD to help communicate about post-traumatic stress disorder. The poster, which can be printed and displayed in your facilities, provides supportive, patient-first language that health care workers and communities can use when talking to trauma survivors. <a href="/system/files/media/file/2022/04/PMWM-PTSD-supportive-language.pdf">DOWNLOAD THE POSTER</a></p> Wed, 13 Apr 2022 14:59:07 -0500 Stigma /news/blog/2021-03-15-compassion-starts-putting-person-front-diagnosis <p>Following the introduction of the 21st Century Cures Act and its ‘open notes’ provision, in which patients are entitled to almost instantaneous electronic access to their health records, it has become apparent now more than ever that the words we use to describe patients in our documentation and professional language matters. Survey data from Kaiser Permanente and the Department of Veterans Affairs, the first system to implement <a href="https://www.opennotes.org/implementation/">open notes</a> across all disciplines, showed 85% of patients said they would choose health professionals based on the availability of open notes. This suggests patients are invested in reading about their care and will likely opt-in to reading their care providers’ documentation. </p> <p>For a long time, physicians’ notes were viewed as the private thoughts of care providers. Soon-to-be-required transparency and availability of such notes has caused many practitioners and clinicians to take pause and consider whether they are documenting in a way that reflects respect and compassion towards their patients.</p> <p>While patients’ increased access to their information is a practical reason to consider word choice within clinical notes, there are many more reasons to “watch your language.” The words we use, even when communicating to colleagues, reflect how we view other people. We all see the world through our own lens, and our own lens is biased. The way we think and speak subconsciously impacts the way we behave. Therefore, if you change the language you use to be person-centered, compassionate language, you will likely find yourself acting in more person-centered and compassionate ways. </p> <p>One way to demonstrate respect and avoid stigmatizing, particularly when discussing marginalized populations, is to use person-first language. Put simply, person-first language puts the person before a diagnosis, describing what a person "has" rather than asserting what a person "is." For example, rather than “the diabetic patient,” you might say, “the patient is a 51-year-old male who has diabetes.” This shows that this is a person with an illness, not the illness itself.</p> <p>Using person-first, compassionate language is especially important for populations that are heavily stigmatized, like individuals with mental illness. Many people reading “the schizophrenic patient,” might imagine someone who is chronically mentally ill, is actively hallucinating or acting erratically. </p> <p>While we all carry our own biases related to words and diagnoses, the interpretation may differ, if instead the patient is described thusly: “Mary is a 25-year-old teacher diagnosed with schizophrenia. Mary has successfully managed her illness with medications.” </p> <p>Similarly, consider what comes to mind when you read “the bipolar patient.” When you hear the illness first, you have your own ideas about the person based on what you know about bipolar disorder. But what if you read: “Jack is a 36-year-old husband and father of three diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Jack recently discontinued his medications due to weight gain and presents with manic symptoms.” You can see Jack is a person and not just “bipolar.” When we consider patients in the context of their humanity — rather than their illnesses alone — we can serve them better and empower them to achieve their goals</p> <p>As we move toward goals of person-centered care, let’s focus on our patients’ strengths and treating the whole person. No one wants to be a label. </p> <p>To help us all put forward our best efforts to adopt person-first language, Linden Oaks collaborated with the AHA to develop the first in a series of easy-to-read, digestible and downloadable posters designed to reduce stigma in health care settings. The first topic of the <a href="/people-matter-words-matter">People Matter, Words Matter</a> series is all about using person-first language. Watch for more topics to come over the next several months, and we hope you use these and share with your colleagues.</p> <p><br /> <em>Kelly Ryan, a doctor of psychology, is director of social services and doctoral training at Linden Oaks Behavioral Health at Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare in Illinois. Gina Sharp is the president and CEO of Linden Oaks Behavioral Health.</em></p> <p><em>Opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the policy of the AHA.</em></p> Mon, 15 Mar 2021 11:14:34 -0500 Stigma /news/news/2021-02-18-aha-launches-new-poster-series-reducing-stigma-health-care <p>The AHA today launched its new <a href="/people-matter-words-matter">People Matter, Words Matter</a> poster series to help combat behavioral health stigma in health care settings by adopting respectful, patient-centered language. </p> <p>Studies show that people with psychiatric and/or substance use disorders often feel judged, both outside and inside the health care system, for their diagnoses, leading them to avoid, delay or stop seeking treatment. </p> <p>In the first poster, Linden Oaks Behavioral Health provided information on using people-first language, which primarily acknowledges the person, rather than the illness or disability. Download the poster here (/system/files/media/file/2021/01/people-matter-words-matter-poster-1.pdf). </p> <p>The AHA, along with behavioral health and language experts from member hospitals and partner organizations, will continue this series of downloadable posters in the coming months for hospitals to distribute and display in clinical settings. </p> Thu, 18 Feb 2021 16:12:22 -0600 Stigma <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-9"><p class="lead field_lead">Words <em>can</em> transmit stigma. Studies have shown that people with psychiatric and/or substance use disorders often feel judged, outside and inside the health care system. This can lead them to avoid, delay or stop seeking treatment. The way we talk about people with a behavioral disorder can change lives – in either a positive or negative manner.</p><p class="lead field_lead">The AHA, together with behavioral health and language experts from member hospitals and partner organizations, will release a series of downloadable posters to help your employees adopt patient-centered, respectful language. Please consider downloading, printing and sharing each poster with your team members and encourage them to use this language both in front of patients and when talking to colleagues. <em><strong>People matter and the words we use to describe them or the disorders they have matter.</strong></em></p><hr><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-5"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2025/03/PMWM-aging.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-03/pmwm-aging-final.png" alt=" Are You Using Caring and Cooncerned Language About Aging?" width="586" height="903" title="Click to download poster: Are You Using Caring and Cooncerned Language About Aging?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-7"><h4>Are You Using Caring and Cooncerned Language About Aging?</h4><p>Language matters in compassionate care, and that is not limited to what you say in front of a patient. What you say behind closed doors to coworkers, friends and family can plant the seed of stigma and discrimination. No matter what role you play in your hospital, it is likely that you will encounter older adults who are coming to you to seek care or to support a loved one. Older adults can encounter discriminatory language and practices that can prevent them from feeling respected, safe and heard when seeking care.</p><p> </p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2025/03/PMWM-aging.pdf" download="file" target="_blank" title="click to download poster: Are you using caring and concerned language about aging?">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div><div class="row"><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2024/07/PMWM-disabilities.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2025-02/pmwm-disabilities-poster.png" alt="Are you using caring and compassionate language about eating disorders?" width="554" height="860" title="Click to download poster: Are you using caring and compassionate language about eating disorders?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-9"><h4>Are You Using Caring and Compassionate Language About People with Disabilities?</h4><p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 6 children in the United States have some type of disability that may affect their vision, movement, thinking, remembering, learning, communicating, hearing, mental health, and/or social relationships. People with disabilities are not a homogenous group, and therefore our language should support the diversity of disability communities.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2024/07/PMWM-disabilities.pdf" download="file" target="_blank" title="click to download poster: Are you using caring and compassionate language about people with disabilities?">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><div class="row"><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2024/02/PMWM-eating-disorders.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2024-02/pmwm-eating-disorders.png" alt="Are you using caring and compassionate language about eating disorders?" width="554" height="858" title="Click to download poster: Are you using caring and compassionate language about eating disorders?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-9"><h4>Are You Using Caring and Compassionate Language About Eating Disorders?</h4><p>Language matters in compassionate care, especially in behavioral health care, and is not limited to what we say in front of patients and families. What we say behind closed doors with co-workers can be the seed for stigma and perpetuate discrimination against a person based on a physical or mental health disorder.</p><p>According to a 2020 report from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, one person dies as the direct result of an eating disorder every 52 minutes. When we talk about eating disorders, we might unintentionally hurt or trigger somebody who is struggling, even when our comments are well-intentioned. </p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2024/02/PMWM-eating-disorders.pdf" title="click to download poster: Are you using caring and compassionate language about eating disorders?">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><hr><div class="row"><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2023/12/PMWM-supporting-colleagues.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2023-12/pmwm-supporting-health-workers-poster.png" alt="Are you equipped with the right actions and words to support your colleagues after they experience an adverse event or distressing situation? cover image" width="554" height="856" title="Click to download poster: Are you equipped with the right actions and words to support your colleagues after they experience an adverse event or distressing situation?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-9"><h4>Are You Equipped with the Right Actions and Words to Support Your Colleagues After They Experience an Adverse Event or Distressing Situation?</h4><p>Health care workers encounter adverse events and stressful situations that may require time and space to process. As health care workers, we all have a role to play in supporting our colleagues who may be struggling with an adverse or stressful situation.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2023/12/PMWM-supporting-colleagues.pdf" title="click to donwload poster: Are you equipped with the right actions and words to support your colleagues after they experience an adverse event or distressing situation?">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><hr><div class="row"><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2023/11/PMWM-maternal-mental-health.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2023-11/PMWM-maternal-mental-health-poster.png" alt="Are You Using Caring and Concerned Language About Maternal Mental Health? image" width="443" height="688" title="Click to download poster: Are You Using Caring and Supportive Language About Maternal Mental Health?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-9"><h4>Are You Using Caring and Supportive Language About Maternal Mental Health?</h4><p>Language matters in compassionate care, and that is not limited to what you say in front of a patient. What you say behind closed doors with co-workers, friends or family can be the seed for stigma and blaming a patient for their illness. Understanding the prevalence of maternal mental health disorders is an important step in how you interact with patients, and the language you choose to use can help remove negative and stereotypical labels and improve encounters with patients and families.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2023/11/PMWM-maternal-mental-health.pdf">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><hr><div class="row"><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2023/04/PMWM-child-adolescent-language.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2023-04/PMWM-child-adolescent-language-poster.png" alt="Are You Using Caring and Concerned Language About Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health? image" width="406" height="625" title="click to download poster: Are You Using Caring and Concerned Language About Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-9"><h4>Are You Using Caring and Concerned Language About Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health?</h4><p>Language matters in compassionate care, and that is not just limited to what you say in front of a patient. What you say behind closed doors to coworkers, friends and family can be the seed for stigma, and may lead people to distrust and avoid treatment.</p><p>Children and adolescents were already facing a behavioral health crisis before the COVID-19 pandemic began – and the pandemic has dramatically accelerated that crisis. Stigma often prevents children and adolescents from getting the help they need. What you say matters in helping youth feel safe, understood and willing to seek care.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2023/04/PMWM-child-adolescent-language.pdf">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><hr><div class="row"><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2022/04/PMWM-PTSD-supportive-language.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2022-04/PMWM-supportive-language.png" alt="Are You Using Supportive Language That Makes a Person Feel Safe and Heard? image" width="405" height="624" title="click to download poster: Are You Using Supportive Language That Makes a Person Feel Safe and Heard?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-9"><h4>Are You Using Supportive Language that Makes a Person Feel Safe and Heard?</h4><p>Language matters in compassionate care, and that is not just limited to what you say in front of a patient. What you say behind closed doors to coworkers, friends and family can be the seed for stigma, and may lead people to distrust and avoid treatment.</p><p>After experiencing a traumatic event, many people struggle to share their experiences and reactions with others. When they do open up, it may result in several reactions for you, making it difficult to know how exactly to respond. What you say matters in helping the survivor feel safe and understood.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2022/04/PMWM-PTSD-supportive-language.pdf">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><hr><div class="row"><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2021/11/PMWM-suicide-destig-language.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2021-11/PMWM-destigmatizing-language-about-suicide.png" alt="Are You Using Destigmatizing Language About Suicide? image" width="587" height="911" title="click to download poster: Are You Using Destigmatizing Language About Suicide?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-9"><h4>Are You Using Destigmatizing Language About Suicide?</h4><p>Language matters in compassionate care, especially in behavioral health care, and that doesn’t mean just what you say in front of a patient. What you say behind closed doors with co-workers can be the seed for stigma and perpetuate discrimination against a person based on a physical or mental health disorder. The topic of suicide, and the sometimes-stigmatizing language around it, must be handled with compassion. The language you use can be an important factor in whether or not a person decides to seek care.</p><p> </p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2021/11/PMWM-suicide-destig-language.pdf">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><hr><hr><div class="row"><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2021/06/PMWM-mental-health-conditions.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2021-06/PMWM-Mental-Health-Conditions.png" alt="How Do You Perceive Mental Health Conditions? image" width="400" height="624" title="click to download poster: How Do You Perceive Mental Health Conditions?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-9"><h4>How Do You Perceive Mental Health Conditions?</h4><p>Language matters in compassionate care, including what you say behind closed doors with co-workers, friends or family. Understanding the prevalence of mental health conditions is an important step in how you perceive individuals and in destigmatizing mental illness. Consider the following scenarios to educate yourself and others on how to fight stigma with facts.</p><p> </p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2021/06/PMWM-mental-health-conditions.pdf">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><hr><div class="row"><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2021/03/PMWM-people-first-language.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2021-03/PMWM-poster.png" alt="Are You Using Using people-first language? image" width="402" height="624" title="click to download poster: Are You Using Using people-first language?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-9"><h4>Are You Using People-First Language?</h4><p>Language matters in compassionate care, especially in behavioral health care, and that doesn’t mean just what you say in front of a patient. What you say behind closed doors with coworkers can be the seed for stigma and perpetuate discrimination against a person based on a physical or mental disorder. Using people-first language means speaking in a way that primarily acknowledges the person, rather than the illness or disability. Thanks to Linden Oaks Behavioral Health for being a source of this poster.</p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2021/03/PMWM-people-first-language.pdf">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><hr><div class="row"><div class="panel"><div class="panel-body"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-3"><p><a href="/system/files/media/file/2021/04/PMWM-compassionate-SUD-language.pdf"><img src="/sites/default/files/2021-04/PMWM-SUD-poster.png" alt="Are you using compassionate SUD language? image" width="400" height="622" title="click to download poster: Are you using compassionate SUD language?"></a></p></div><div class="col-md-9"><h4>Are You Using Compassionate SUD Language?</h4><p>Talking to and about an individual with a substance use disorder means seeing them as a person battling a severe illness. Our words reflect our thinking and make a profound difference in the outcome of care. Let’s choose to inspire and support our patients by reducing stigmatizing language. Thanks to Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Carilion Clinic for being a source of this poster.</p><p><strong>Additional Resource(s):</strong> <a href="https://www.shatterproof.org/">Shatterproof: Reversing the Addiction Crisis in the U.S.</a></p><p><a class="btn btn-wide btn-primary" href="/system/files/media/file/2021/04/PMWM-compassionate-SUD-language.pdf">Download Poster</a></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="col-md-3"><div class="panel module-typeC"><div class="panel-heading"><h3 class="panel-title">Learn More</h3></div><div class="panel-body"><p><a href="/news/chair-files/2018-04-02-chair-file-understanding-and-treating-substance-use-disorders">Chair File: Understanding and Treating Substance Use Disorders</a> by Nancy Agee, AHA Board Chair and President and CEO of Carilion Clinic</p></div></div><div class="panel module-typeC"><div class="panel-heading"><h3 class="panel-title"><a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/words-matter-language-can-reduce-mental-health-addiction-stigma-nih-leaders-say">NIH leaders: Words matter</a></h3></div><div class="panel-body"><p>Language can <a href="https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/words-matter-language-can-reduce-mental-health-addiction-stigma-nih-leaders-say">reduce mental health and addiction stigma</a>.</p></div></div><div class="panel"><h4>Behavioral Health Resources</h4><h4><a href="/stigma">Combating Stigma</a></h4><h4><a href="/behavioralhealth/awareness-prevention-resources">Awareness & Prevention</a></h4><h4><a href="/behavioralhealth/access-capacity-resources">Access & Capacity</a></h4><h4><a href="/behavioralhealth/clinical-innovation-resources">Clinical Innovation</a></h4><h4><a href="/behavioralhealth/advocacy-and-regulatory-resources">Advocacy & Regulatory</a></h4></div></div></div></div> Thu, 14 Jan 2021 10:49:36 -0600 Stigma /advancing-health-podcast/2020-11-25-addressing-stigma-shatterproof <p>In this episode Elisa Arespacochaga, Vice president of AHA's Physician Alliance sits down with Matt Stefanko of Shatterproof to discuss how they have implemented a comprehensive suite of tools to combat stigma associated with substance abuse disorder.</p> <p></p> <div><a href="https://soundcloud.com/advancinghealth" target="_blank" title="Advancing Health">Advancing Health</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/advancinghealth/addressing-stigma-with-shatterproof" target="_blank" title="Addressing Stigma with Shatterproof">Addressing Stigma with Shatterproof</a></div> Wed, 25 Nov 2020 09:36:52 -0600 Stigma