Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then begin blogging!

econ by the pool: bottles and cans

Health Care Reform Weekly Easytoinsureme Health Insurance Quotes

Week of Jan 25, 2010

The sudden halt to health care reform’s steady march forward came as a shock to many who saw an upset win by Republican Senator-elect Scott Brown in Massachusetts as all but impossible. But if many took delight in the election outcome’s impact on health reform legislation, Aetna Chairman Ronald A. Williams prefabricated it clear in a New York Times story last week that the country still needs meaningful health care reform – reform that addresses access as well as affordability. Everyone benefits by health reform that gets at the factors driving soaring health care costs and the loss of coverage for so many Americans. While Congress thinks carefully about its next steps, Aetna will continue to support meaningful health care reform and continue to offer responsible solutions to legislative leaders.

Federal

The election of Republican Scott Brown as the new senator from Massachusetts has derailed the Congressional health care reform train, less because Brown denies Democrats the 60th filibuster-proof vote, though that is certainly a major result, and more because it collapsed the Democratic political home of cards by highlighting the power of independent voters and the frustrated anti-incumbent mood of the electorate. Whether Democrats can regroup from this wake-up call will consume their leadership from now until the November off-year elections. How Democrats handle, and how Republicans respond to, health care reform in the short term and other key priorities – such as jobs, the economy, energy and security – over the rest of the session will underscore all Congressional decisions from now until the first Tuesday in November. In short, the 2010 elections started in serious with Brown’s victory.

Once Democrats get past the shock of losing Kennedy’s seat, they will have to grapple with health care reform, one way or the other. The primeval favorites, including passing the Senate bill “as is” in the House, have been dropped for now as Democrats recognize the political cost of ramming through something unpopular propelled by political muscle only. Passing a smaller, less invasive and mostly Democratic bill has only a slightly superior chance, as Republicans are not too likely to “crossover” quite yet. There is a growing interest in using reconciliation (the 51-vote tactic) down the road to pass a Democratic-only bill, once the Home and Senate Democratic leadership can concur to a single bill. And, there is the outside chance that Democrats will see the Massachusetts election as an imperative to craft a bipartisan bill with Republicans that can secure 70-plus votes in the Senate. Wednesday’s Say of the Union speech, followed by the celebration issues retreats later in the week, will go a long way toward determining which path will be pursued.

Health Care Bill Would Be Disaster For The Poor

Most Americans are aware that buried somewhere in the 2,000-page health care reform bill are viands for slicing the already- strapped Medicare program by billions of dollars. Few are aware that the bill also cuts expenditures on county hospitals currently serving the poor.

In Chicago, for example, those without health insurance go to the county hospital where they are treated without regard to whether they have health insurance. If the bill is passed, however, many of these county hospitals will either have to close their doors or deny treatment to those without health insurance.

Although the bill passed by the Senate has been depicted as using coercive means to require those currently uninsured to purchase insurance they can't afford, or as imposing additional new taxes on the American working man and family, that bill is based on a fundamental demand of understanding of how the health care needs of the nation’s poor are currently served.

The desperately poor, many of them unemployed, are not equipped to deal with complicated insurance programs, deductibles, co-pays and all the other accoutrements of the typical health care policy. They are poor, they are unemployed, they are sick, they need a place to go to be treated without red tape and procedural obstacles.

County hospitals crossways the country that have provided that place are now threatened with a cut-off of funding and in many cases with extinction by the current health care reform bill passed by the Senate.

A number of proposals for making health care inexpensive for all Americans have been place forward by those who have sought to be heard during the legislative process. All these proposals have been rejected by a Congress determined to impose government control of health care.

Among these rejected proposals is to grant people to purchase health insurance they can afford. Currently, government mandates require a single man to purchase maternity coverage he will never use, or to pay inflated premiums to insure against going insane. It would be similar to a government mandate requiring each mortal to purchase a Rolls Royce instead of a Ford. And then when people can’t afford to purchase the Rolls Royce, they’re without any automobile at all.

Another rejected proposal is to grant health insurance companies to compete crossways say lines, thus increasing the competitive pressure to wage inexpensive insurance. Proposals for modest curbs on the multimillion-dollar malpractice suits that divert billions of dollars away from health care and into the pockets of high-rolling trial attorneys have also been rejected.

Even proposals for limited but cost-effective catastrophic government insurance have been rejected by those determined to have government take over health care crossways the board.

Related Health Care Articles

Health Care Reform March 15 2010

Week of March 15, 2010

The White Home last week continued to rail against rising health insurance premiums to help build favourite support for his health care reform package. But the effort to focus the blame for rising costs on insurers was questioned, in particular, by say insurance experts and economists quoted in a New York Times story last week. Insurance commissioners stated that trying to hold down premiums before costs were under control would be very risky. This approach could mean solvency issues in some cases, they told the Times. To help educate Americans about the true drivers of rising health care costs, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the industry trade association, last week launched a new national ad campaign. The ad demonstrates that health insurance company costs represent a small slice of the overall health care cost pie.

Federal

With a cadre of staff operatives searching for the right health insurance reform viands among those previously discarded from the House, Senate and the President’s proposals, Democratic leadership has been relentlessly pursuing apiece doable pathway to pass a final bill. The expected process would have: 1) the Home pass the Senate-adopted reform bill (which most Home members hate), 2) the Home passing a bill to “fix” all the things it hates using a reconciliation legislative vehicle, followed by 3) the Senate passing the very same reconciliation bill — requiring only 51 votes in the Senate. The Home Budget and Rules Committees are expected to begin the review, hearing and mark-up process of the reconciliation bill this week. The Senate commitment to using reconciliation was prefabricated official in a scathing letter from Leader Harry Reid to the Minority Leader. Along the way the two Chambers will need to see the latest CBO “scores” on the bill before voting, and 216 Home Democrats will have to resolve policy disagreements over abortion, federal health insurance rate review and authority, and other substantive issues. Additionally, the Home will have to trust that the Senate can pass the reconciliation measure without changing one comma. Partisanship has blossomed into open hostility over health reform. Whether Congress can overcome these policy, process and political mine fields remains as murky as ever, but Democrats have chosen to try and will near for resolution by the Easter recess.

The Senate has passed Jobs Bill II and shipped it off to the House, where passage is not certain. Within the bill are two health-related items of note. First, the COBRA eligibility and subsidy program will be extended to the end of 2010. (These viands are set to expire at the end of March.) Second, the bill contains a suspension until September 30, 2010 of the cut to physician Medicare reimbursements for the current calendar year. (This supplying is also set to expire at the end of March.) Aetna urged Congress to apply the “doc fix” to next year’s reimbursement as well, since insurers’ Medicare rates are based on what physicians are paid, but in the end Congress unsuccessful to make this change. Aetna and the industry will continue to find ways both to establish a more lasting, if not permanent, doc fix and to devise a legislative solution to the disconnect between physician reimbursement and Medicare Advantage rates for 2011 and beyond.

States

ARIZONA: Budget issues remain front and center as the governor and Republican leadership proposed a plan they hope will close the 0 million deficit this year and reduce the anticipated .6 billion deficit in 2011. Righting the state’s fiscal ship has become a very partisan exercise, with the Republicans supporting reductions in Medicaid and KidsCare, and the elimination of full-day kindergarten. As the special session on the budget is running concurrently with the regular session, no other bill hearings were held. The oral chemotherapy parity bill might be dead for this year as proponents did not meet the deadline for submitting amendatory language.

CALIFORNIA: The Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee chaired by Assemblyman Hector De La Torre held a hearing last week to analyze how the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) and the Department of Insurance (CDI) has handled issues surrounding the rescission of policies in the individual market. According to a report prepared for the committee by Bryan Liang, director of the Institute of Health Law Studies at the California Western School of Law, fewer than 300 of 6,000 former policyholders are participating in health insurers’ agreements to settle such cases. Republican committee members were highly critical of this witness, while De La Torre was critical of the Departments. The DMHC reported that since their settlements were finished there have only been nine rescissions over the past two years, proof that the DMHC and the health plans have revamped their processes for rescission and have worked to address the problem.

COLORADO: A bill mandating maternity and contraceptive coverage in individual policies continues to receive significant attention in the Senate. The most current amendment proposes requiring maternity coverage in at least three of the plans marketed by an insurer. It would also grant a current member of a plan without maternity coverage to switch to a plan with maternity coverage from the same carrier during the first trimester. The other major bill would require that second level appeals be performed by physicians who are actively involved in clinical practice. This measure is counterintuitive in the current economy, since it would result in outsourcing appeals and drive up costs for plan sponsors and their employees.

CONNECTICUT: A proposal that would require health insurance plans to cover oral chemotherapy in the same way that intravenous chemotherapy is covered prefabricated it through the legislature’s Insurance and Real Estate Committee last week. Currently, many health plans treat the two kinds of cancer treatments differently. Chemotherapy treatments that come in pill form are often categorized as prescription drug benefits that can require patients to pay a larger share of the cost. Cancer patients, physicians and patient suggests spoke in favor of the bill, while insurers and the Connecticut Business and Industry Association opposed it, arguing that it would place a mandate on health plans that could raise costs and make it more difficult for employers to afford insurance.

GEORGIA: A bill restricting the use of rescissions in individual health insurance policies passed a Senate committee last week. Aetna continues to work with its trade organizations to educate legislators about the adverse effect of this type of legislation. Discussions also continue regarding legislation affecting the use of rental networks.

KANSAS: Roughly half way through the legislative session, several health care bills are still moving through the process. On the regulatory front, the Insurance Department has proposed a regulation that would mandate coverage of routine patient care costs while the insured is enrolled in a cancer clinical trial – a mandate that was rejected by the legislature in 2008. A hearing will be held on April 20, and Aetna will have an opportunity to present testimony on this issue. Bills still alive include mandates for autism and orally administered chemotherapy, legislation prohibiting dental contracts that require the dentist to follow a fee schedule for non-covered services, and a ban on “most favored nation” clauses by some insurers. Another bill would grant small employers to create individual HRAs to fund premium payments on individual policies, require administering insurers to offer employees the option of receiving health insurance coverage through a high-deductible health plan with an HSA, and requiring insurers who offer small group health plans to offer high-deductible health plans with HSAs, while authorizing tax deductions for health insurance premiums for individual insurance policies. Separate legislation would amend the definition of “eligible employee” to include part-time workers (currently less than 30 hours per week). Pending legislation concerning hospital charges would prohibit charging private-pay patients more than 25 percent of what the hospital’s highest volume private payer would pay for the same goods or services. Legislation that died includes a telemedicine mandate and creation of a health care insurance database for employers.

KENTUCKY: Health issues that are being hotly debated by the legislature right now include an autism mandate, a dental bill that would not grant insurers to hold dentists, optometrists or ophthalmologists to a fee schedule for non-covered services, and a bill setting a reimbursement floor for chiropractic services. The chiropractic services proposal would grant chiropractors to bill, and would require insurers to reimburse, an evaluation and management (E&M) CPT code on apiece and apiece visit. In addition to billing for follow-up services for manipulations and other therapies, the chiropractor would be granted to submit, and the insurer required to pay, for another E&M code on apiece and apiece visit. The legislation would also add a new mandated benefit to the Kentucky statutes. Currently, reimbursement for chiropractor visits is required only if the chiropractor performs a service already covered by the health benefit plan. Under the proposal, any service within the scope of practice of a chiropractor that is billed would become a mandated benefit. Finally, the bill would require health benefit plans to wage reimbursement without the chiropractor having to wage any documentation that the services were medically necessary. Each of these bills has, or is expected to, pass at least one chamber.

SOUTH DAKOTA: Several important legislative deadlines are approaching, resulting in a flurry of activity. Bills or resolutions not passed by the second chamber by March 9 died. But the Governor has already signed a bill that amends the premium rate-setting procedure for the high-risk pool so that rates for a given classification are 150 percent of the average actively marketed premium. The pool will have to offer three or more plan designs, remove coverage stipulations for the plans (such as disease management) and remove set cost-sharing values. The bill was signed by the Governor on March 1 and will become effective on July 1, 2010. The Governor has also signed a bill prohibiting rating based on injuries caused by domestic violence and legislation requiring refunds of premiums for partial months, in the case of mid-month cancellations. Both chambers have passed legislation prohibiting contract language requiring dentists to accept a fee schedule for non-covered services, and the bill awaits the Governor’s signature. Finally, the legislature passed a resolution opposing the federal health care reform proposals passed in the U.S. Senate and House.

President Obama addresses the Home Democratic Caucus and states that the time is now to vote for health care reform for America.

More Health Care Articles

Allied Health Career as a Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy Technicians are important staffs that work collectively with licensed pharmacists. Pharmacy technicians perform a variety of serious tasks in different work setting such as nursing homes, hospitals and retail pharmacies, but primarily they play a major role in assisting licensed pharmacists by providing medication and other suggested products to patients. Being as an essential element of a team, pharmacy technician also help pharmacists in filling the day-to-day instructions for drugs or evaluating orders for dosing, drug allergies, and incompatibilities. In addition to this, they even assist pharmacist by wrapping, cataloging and delivering medications to patients along with maintaining an automated list of medications.

Apart from this, under the direction of a pharmacist, their role also includes verifying prescription information and filling in the insurance information and patient profiles. At times, pharmacy Technicians might even be accountable for providing answers to various questions regarding non-drug products and transfer ring drug-delivery devices, and other important pharmacy products from the pharmacy to clinics or hospitals. However, note that the responsibilities of the pharmacy tech might differ from say to say depending upon local laws.

Today if we speak in context of career outlook then it actually seems to get brighter in the next few years. In fact, as per the current studies conducted by the leading experts belonging to healthcare industry, number of Pharmacy technician opportunities is expected to increase by about 32 percent, and this development is actually much faster than the average for other occupations. Moreover, in the last few years, the role of pharmacy technician has become refined. In the hospital service, there are numerous rankings for eligible pharmacy technicians. Senior technicians can get specialized in different areas such as calibre control, medicines management, staff training, supplies procurement, information technology, clinical trials or medicines information services.

So, by now if you are looking forward to becoming a pharmacy technician, here is a easy yet effective outlines that can help you a lot:

• Find a top pharmacy tech program. Nowadays you can study in a classroom or online, so make a proper selection
• Evaluate the list of pharmacy technician schools and make selection of the ideal pharmacy technician school for you.
• Appear for the pharmacy technician certification exam. The exams take place in virtually each state. All you require is to sign up and take the pharmacy technician test.

Besides this, make sure you keep your certification current. Remember that after becoming a certified pharmacy tech, you need to complete minimum 20 hours of continuing education each two years.

Moreover, you need to remember that even though many pharmacy technicians get their on-the-job training, but these days many employers like those who carry experience, attained professional certification or have finished their formal training. In fact, employers often seek formally educated pharmacy technicians. As a result, this day many proprietary schools, vocational or technical healthcare schools of the United Says and Canada are offering formal education programs. These training programs primarily include internships, in which students get practical exposure in actual pharmacies.

Overall, the job prosect is very high and the pay scale is also quite decent. This job also offers the ideal lifelong security in comparison to other jobs. Certainly this profession has tremendous scope for professional development.

Allied Health Career Spotlight of Phlebotomy Technician

Phlebotomy is a medical term primarily used to describe the act of drawing blood from a vein and the professionals who are trained to collect blood in a clinical setting are known as phlebotomists or phlebotomy technicians.

Overview

Phlebotomy technicians are important members of the health care team who usually work with physicians, work staff, nurses and patients. They are healthcare professionals who are trained to obtain blood samples from patients. Generally, defined as phlebotomists, at times their responsibility also revolves around taking finger-prick hemoglobin tests, which doesn’t involve using a needle. Their primary role is not just confined to collect blood for accurate and reliable work testing. In fact, their responsibility also includes venipuncture or capillary collection.

Moreover, they might even be expected to perform medically related routine work responsibilities as well as some clerical tasks. They might even require performing other duties such as the collection of donor blood, bleeding time tests, therapeutic phlebotomies or specimen preparation. They act as life guardians with their services at the blood banks encouraging blood donation campaigns. They also monitor blood pressure and pulse in different conditions like blood transfusions or blood donation at the blood banks.

Employment Scope

Phlebotomy technicians are mainly employed in hospital and clinic settings, but at times they might also require performing their duties in private home care and the insurance industry or research institutes or nursing homes. Adding to this, these days many private clinics and laboratories are also recruiting phlebotomy technicians. However, this day if we look at the job prospect of phlebotomy technicians then as per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the opportunities are further expected to grow by 14% between 2006 and 2016. This increase is expected because of the frequent invention of new types of medical tests and growth of the population.

Salary Outlook

In terms of salary, phlebotomy technicians can acquire a decent salary in comparison to any technician who works in heath care industry. Usually the normal salary of phlebotomist varies from ,356 to ,779. Nevertheless, as per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, phlebotomists can acquire from ,720 to ,168, with a median salary of ,944. Though certification is not a major stipulation of employment for phlebotomy technicians, but it might help them in increasing their earning. These days, there are several national organizations, including the National Accrediting Bureau for Clinical Sciences (NAACS), offer certifying examinations. Apart from this, the salary levels might also be affected depending upon the occupational setting (hospitals, blood banks, and private laboratories), experience and state/area of residence.

Requirements to Become Phlebotomy Technician

Becoming a phlebotomy technician usually requires a high school diploma or equivalent and three month or more of specialized training, either on-the-job or through a formalized health care program. This day there are many universities and schools that offer Phlebotomy Technician programs. During these programs, a student learns how to draw blood and how to cooperate with patients. Once a student completes the programs, he or might select to become certified professionals. These days, certifications are acquirable from the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP), American Medical Technologists (AMT) or the American Association of Medical Personnel (AAMP). In terms of phlebotomy training, it generally includes venipuncture, record keeping, and sample safety.

Certainly, working as a phlebotomy technician is an outstanding career opportunity if you are looking to move into a different health care career. The rewards are plentiful and the in long-standing profession you might find great satisfaction in helping other people who might in desperate need of your medical support.

Frequently asked questions about home health care

Q: What is home health care?
A: Home health care is a service that permits patients to receive personalized health care, maintaining their calibre of life in the privacy and comfort of their homes.

Q: Why home health care?
A: Home health care is a cost-effective option for receiving health care services. Returning to one’s home and family can quicken recovery and improve the calibre of life for both patient and family or caregiver.

Q: Who pays for home health care?
A: Most health insurance companies, HMOs, PPOs and Workers Compensation cover home health care. In addition, Medicare and Medicaid pay for home care services. Some insurance providers do not cover all home health services. Our staff will verify health coverage for the patient.

Q: What criteria are required for Medicare to approve services?
A: The following criteria are used to meet Medicare requirements:
• The patient is a Medicare recipient.
• The patient must be homebound. This is defined by Medicare as “normal inability to leave the home and that leaving the home requires considerable and taxing effort.”
• The skilled care must be medically necessary as determined by the physician.

Q: What if I have a problem at night or on the weekend?
A: We have registered nurses on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Q: Do I need a physician’s order for home health care?
A: Yes, all health care provided in the home occurs under direct order and supervision of the patient’s physician.

Q: What types of services can be provided at home?
A: Many medical conditions that previously required hospitalization can safely be treated in the home. Home care services might include but are not limited to:

Skilled Nursing:
• Observation and assessment of condition
• Patient and family education of disease process
• Management and evaluation of patient care plan
• Medication education and management
• Dressing changes
• Home country education
• Wound care
• Catheter care
• Injections
• IV therapy
• Ostomy care
• Pain management
• Diabetic care
• Nutritional support

Assistance with Daily Living:
• Bathing/dressing
• Transfer/ambulation
• Light meal preparation
• Light housekeeping
• Grocery shopping
• Medication reminder
• Laundry
• Companionship/Conversation
• Reading/writing
• Pet sitting/walking
• Escort to appointments
• Live-ins
• Respite
• Exercise therapy assistance

Q: How does Paloma Home Health Care, Inc. ensure calibre care in the home?
A: Providing continuous calibre care to patients is paramount to all we do. All patients are given a patient satisfaction survey that is incorporated into our ongoing evaluation process to continually increase our patient satisfaction. New programs and processes are developed through our calibre improvement team to promote favorable outcomes.

Q: How do I find out more about home health care?
A: Please call our office to learn more about how you can benefit more about the service, at 972 346 2013

Q: What services can Paloma Home Health Care, Inc. offer?
A: Our services include but are not limited to:
• Supportive Care Education of Disease Process
• Individual and Family Counseling
• Management and Evaluation of Patient Care
• Observation and Assessment
• Home Safety and Emergency Education
• Medication Education
• Assistance with ADLs
• Nutrition Education
• Restorative Therapy (Physical, Occupational and Speech)

Related Health Care Articles

Career Prospects in Community-based Mental Health in Maryland

There is a lot of prospect in community-based mental health careers both in the say of Maryland and all over the country. This is because for years now, there has been a lot of emphasis on prevention and reduction of inpatient hospitalization for all illnesses, including mental illness. This might primarily have been intended for cost control, it has also facilitated calibre and access. The second reason why career prospects in community mental health are many is that there is currently a severe shortage of mental health workers in all sectors. The 2007 Maryland Mental Health Workforce White Paper revealed that the number and complexity of mental health problems experienced by kids and their families have increased over the past decade. It further said, “At least one in five kids and youth, or 20%, experience a mental health disorder. The crisis of mental health in the United Says is such that 75-80% of youth with mental health diagnoses receive no services, and services received are often inadequate”. Thirdly, there is inadequate diversity among the few mental health workforce. For example, 28% of Maryland population is of ethnic minority but only 12% of mental workforce is of ethnic minorities. Furthermore, there is an acute shortage of African American males in mental health workforce.

 1. Outpatient Mental Health Clinics (OMHC)

Outpatient mental health clinics wage therapy, counseling, medication management, social skills teaching, and case management services to individuals with severe and chronic mental health problems. Career prospects acquirable in OMHC include:

Therapists and Counselors: New regulations require therapists and counselors in OMHC to have a minimum of a Masters degree and a license (such as LGSW, LCSW, LCSW-C, LGPC, LCPC, RNC, APRN/PMHN) in nursing, social work, psychology, counseling, or psychiatric rehabilitation. Also, an RN without a Masters degree but with an RNC from ANCC can be employed as a therapist. Salaries are very attractive.

2. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Programs (PRP)

PRP programs are an extension of the services provided to the patient in the OMHC. A PRP might stand alone or be an additional service to an OMHC. The purpose of PRP is to promote the rehabilitation, integration and improved calibre of life for the patient at home, school, work and community. It aims at helping the patient to function at his or her optimum ideal in life. The counseling can be done at the Program office (onsite) or at the patient’s home (offsite). PRP counseling could be about a wide range of topics, including anger management skills, social skills, assertiveness skills, medication compliance, coping with symptoms, managing peer pressure, taking a bus, determining bus route, drug and alcohol, gang prevention, sex education, STD education, accessing community resources such as food stamps, inexpensive housing, bus pass, ID card, driver’s license, job search, preparing for job interview, keeping a job, improving attention in school, completing homework and school projects, respect of authority, etc.     

Even though a mere one-year work experience in a mental health setting or having an AA degree qualifies one to be a PRP counselor, PRP programs like to employ persons with a BS degree in any health or mental health related field such as nursing, social work, counseling, psychology and rehabilitation. PRP counselors are usually paid  or more per counseling session. Each client receives 2 to 8 counseling sessions per month.

3. Expanded School-Based Mental Health (ESBMH)

In addition to the school clinic, some schools also have an ESBMH clinic. A therapist assigned from an OMHC manages apiece of such clinics. Apart from providing therapy to troubled kids sent to the therapist’s office from the class or principal’s office, the therapist also serve as a resource mortal to the school staff regarding particular children, issues or topics related to mental health. 

4. Crisis Response Programs (BCRI, BCARS)

Mental health professionals are also needed in crisis centers where services are provided for anyone in mental health crisis. The two main centers in Baltimore are Baltimore Crisis Response, Inc. (BCRI) and Baltimore Child and Adolescent Response System (BCARS). For employment inquiries, please call 410-433-5255. There are positions that do not need a Masters degree.

BCARS website provides the following information about what they do: 

BCARS is a mobile crisis response service that provides emergency contact with mental health professionals throughout the city. Dedicated crisis clinicians staff the program as part of a continuum of clinical care provided by the Catholic Charities.  The Johns Hopkins Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry wage psychiatric consultations to the program.  BCARS assists kids and families covering psychiatric and psychosocial crises by providing hospital diversion and immediate intervention and respite. For information or assistance, please call the BCARS hotline (410) 752-2272. It is acquirable 24-7. 

BCRI web site provided the following information: about what they do:

HOTLINE: The telephone crisis “hotline” (410-752-2272) is acquirable 24 hours a day and is staffed by trained counselors who have the capability to wage information and referral to the network of human services in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The counselors also wage supportive counseling, dispatch emergency assistance and link callers with more intensive BCRI services.  In FY 2004 – 34,852 and FY 2005 – 30,257 calls were received on the Hotline.

MOBILE CRISIS TEAMS: Mobile crisis teams are comprised of mental health professionals including psychiatrists, social workers and nurses who can be dispatched to community locations to wage immediate assessment, intervention and treatment. Teams operate from 7:00am till midnight seven days per week. Currently the teams average over 2000 responses per year.

IN HOME SUPPORT: Persons experiencing a mental health crisis can often be maintained in the community through regular visits from the BCRI mobile crisis teams. An average of 350 people a year is cared for in this manner.

RESIDENTIAL CRISIS BEDS: Baltimore Crisis Response, Inc. operates 18 psychiatric crisis beds. Crisis beds are not new to Maryland. However, since its inception, BCRI has operated with an average length of stay of 4.5 days compared with the historical statewide average of 16.5 days.

PUBLIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING: BCRI wage public and professional education and training on a wide range of mental health related topics including: suicide prevention, crisis intervention, mental illness, and stigma.  Training has also been provided to members of the Baltimore City Police Negotiation Team, over 3,000 patrol officers, Housing Police and Sheriff’s officers. Through special allows and contracts, BCRI has provided training to Baltimore City Public School instructors and guidance counselors, clergy, 911 operators, shelter care staff and others.  Public education is also provided via a telegram TV program called “Mental Health Matters”.  This program provides practical information regarding mental health issues and community resources.  BCRI has also offered professional training conferences, workshops and symposia.

ADDICTIONS SERVICES: In response to the growing need for addictions treatment services BCRI has expanded and now provides a 10-day residential detoxification program for chemically addicted and dually diagnosed persons.  There are currently 16 beds operated for this purpose.

5. Group Homes

Direct care staff and counselors are needed in group homes to manage, care and support the residents in the areas of activities of regular living, behavior management, life progress, and community living. Employment preference is usually given to individuals who have a degree related to health or mental health. Salary rates are very attractive. New regulations now mandate apiece group home especially for kids to be managed by a Program Administrator (PA) who must possess at least a BS degree in any field but preferably in a health or mental health related field. Program Administrators are very well paid, depending on their education and experience and the size and intensity of the group home. 

6. Private Practice

There are a lot of prospects for licensed mental health professionals with at least a Masters degree to establish their own private practice. The practice could be in the area of clinical, research, educational, or consultancy.

Related Health Careers Articles

Why Health Care Reform Could Leave Us All Worse Off

The health care reform bills being debated in Congress threaten to shut out millions of immigrants. But Congress’ exclusionary policies toward immigrants will not simply leave immigrants worse off. They will inevitably jeopardize the nation’s economy and the health of all of us.

President Obama has prioritized health care reform to ensure that millions of Americans have a fair, inexpensive and efficient health care system. For immigrants, this vision is far from a reality. First, the current health care reform bill treats legal immigrants unfairly. Individuals who have waited years to come to the United Says will be required to move years in order to obtain inexpensive health care.

Immigrants are generally younger and healthier than the U.S. population at large. However, no one is immune to falling ill or having an accident. The current health care bill would require recently arrived, legal immigrants to move five years to obtain the only option for inexpensive health care coverage, Medicaid. While low-income citizens will have access to Medicaid, the most vulnerable among us will continue to move for inexpensive health care despite the fact that they pay taxes for the very programs from which they are excluded. There is no sound reason for Congress to discriminate against these individuals and prevent them from receiving basic medical care.

Congress and the White Home also took an unprecedented step to prohibit individuals from buying — with their own hard-earned money — an American good that could help their families. The Senate version of the health care bill forbids undocumented immigrants from purchasing private insurance at full cost in the newly created insurance marketplaces. As a result, undocumented immigrants as well as their family members, who are often U.S. citizens or legal immigrants, will likely remain uninsured and will be forced to seek care in the emergency room.

The costs of providing health care for undocumented immigrants will not disappear after passing health care reform. It is unlikely that millions of immigrants, whose contributions keep up our standard of living and our economy functioning, will be deported. Instead, the cost of care will become the financial responsibility of the patient, the provider, the local and say governments, and each single taxpayer. Moreover, in order to exclude a few, there will be additional forms, documents, and bureaucrats that the rest of us will be subjected to. Buying the mandated health insurance could feel like a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Taxpayers will have to pay millions for this additional red tape and delay, all to keep a few people from buying health insurance with their own money.

Providers, employers, consumers, religious leaders, and say and local governments recognize that these policies are short-sighted and will cost all of us more in the long-run. Policies that attempt to exclude and ostracize immigrants also disproportionately harm all communities of color and immigrant-rich says like California and New York, further widening existing inequities in our nation. Yet because immigrants live in all 50 states, the intended and unintended consequences and costs of these restrictions will be far-reaching.

Ending discriminatory and exclusionary policies in this final round of negotiations is not only a matter of fundamental impartiality and sound economics. It is required in order to not leave all of us worse off. Congress has a short window of opportunity to remove the restrictions on legal and undocumented immigrants in the health care reform bill. Doing so will not jeopardize the passage of the bill. Failing to doing so, however, will leave all of us, immigrant or not, worse off and wondering what happened to the promise of health care reform.

President Obama talks moments after the historic passage by the Home of Representatives of the Senate’s health reform legislation.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

Find More Health Care Articles