People on Medicare who want to see a therapist often wait up to six months for an appointment, but relief is on the way.

Starting Jan. 1, licensed marriage and family therapists will be able to accept Medicare insurance.

Joy Alafia, executive director of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, which represents 36,000 therapists, said the change will help thousands.

"We already see that about 30% of people with Medicare insurance do live with a mental illness, and only about 15% receive treatment from a behavioral health specialist," Alafia reported. "That data was as of 2021. So this is really a need that exists, wait times are extremely long, and this will help address them."

Therapists can help people who may be lonely and isolated battle anxiety, depression, addiction, mood disorders, stress or trauma. To set up an appointment, people can check with their Medicare provider.

Bindu Khurana-Brown, a licensed marriage and family therapist and associate director of the nonprofit Momentum for Health, a crisis unit for adults with serious mental illness as well as a community mobile response team at Momentum Health in San Jose, said the additional providers will be able to help with immediate mental health needs.

"When somebody finally makes that choice, that I want to get help, they can easily be deterred from seeking treatment if there's nobody available," Khurana-Brown pointed out. "Because there were fewer providers able to be on Medicare reimbursement, it limited just the amount of people who are educated and qualified to help people in need."

Licensed marriage and family therapists comprise 40% of the behavioral health workforce in California, which also includes social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists. Older adults are expected to make up one-quarter of the state's population within 7 years, as the over-60 population is projected to grow faster than any other age group.


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Studies show suicide is a serious public health problem, claiming more than 48,000 lives each year in the nation.

A new initiative from the Zero Suicide Institute aims to change it and demonstrate how a diverse group of hospitals in South Carolina and elsewhere can improve their suicide prevention practices.

Allyson Sipes, director of clinical initiatives at G. Werber Bryan Psychiatric Hospital in Columbia, said the Institute worked with her staff to develop best practices.

"The Zero Suicide Institute brought in a group of individuals that we could learn from," Sipes recounted. "Then having an expert faculty with a change package that we used to set our facility and what to look at and address."

Sipes explained the program was developed by the Pew Charitable Trusts to test evidence-informed methods to detect suicide risk and connect patients to treatment.

Nearly 27% of U.S. hospitals do not practice recommended suicide prevention practices, including safety planning, warm handoffs to outpatient care, patient follow-up and lethal-means counseling.

Laurin Jozlin, senior project associate for the institute, said studies show half the people who die by suicide saw a health care professional in the month before their death but were never referred to a mental health professional.

"We know that there's an opportunity in health and behavioral health care systems to intervene," Jozlin acknowledged. "They are being seen by health and behavioral health care professionals but they're often not identified as someone who is at risk of suicide."

Sara Voelker, improvement adviser for the Education Development Center, said they take ideas proven successful elsewhere and develop them into best practices.

"We put it together into a change package," Voelker noted. "Then teams pulled out ideas that had worked in other places and then, essentially, figured out a way of, 'How do I adapt this to make it work in my organization?'"

If you are struggling with mental health, help is available by calling or texting 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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As Children's Mental Health Awareness Week kicks off in Arkansas, an expert said parents can help their children have a healthy brain to thrive.

Charles Fay, child psychologist and president of the Love and Logic Institute, said national data show roughly 42% of adolescents aged 12-17 in Arkansas, mirroring national trends, receive services for severe depression.

He argued a healthy brain is the foundation of good parenting and Arkansas parents could foster children's ability to become mentally strong, responsible and successful.

"Parents creating a home where kids are really expected to take good care of themselves and show them how to do it, with the eating, the diet, with sleep," Fay outlined. "We're seeing more young people getting hardly any sleep and one of the biggest reasons is they have their phones or other devices in their bedrooms."

For children struggling with depression, anxiety or adjusting to challenging situations, the state program ARKids provides mental health resources online.

Fay stressed it is important for parents to identify signs of mental health struggles in their children. One indicator he suggested is a child's lack of interest in activities they normally enjoy. He added it is important for parents to consistently be firm and caring with their children.

"Firm means healthy limits and accountability," Fay emphasized. "There's been a number of studies recently that show that when kids do not have consistent limits, when they are not held accountable, they are far more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and a whole host of other mental health disorders."

Fay noted the importance of guiding children to translate their natural talents into fulfilling careers. He believes the path leads to greater happiness. His book, "Raising Mentally Strong Kids," features a strategy combining brain science with practical tools to cultivate resilient minds in children.

More than 1,000 family members of firefighters who died in the line of duty, including some from Texas, will gather in Emmitsburg, Maryland, starting this Friday, to honor their loved ones.

The occasion is the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend and 13 of the firefighters being honored are from Texas.

Victor Stagnaro, CEO of the National Firefighters Foundation, said their names will be added to a memorial wall.

"Every firefighter that's died in the line of duty since 1981 has their name inscribed on a bronze plaque that's mounted on a marble wall," Stagnaro explained. "The monument itself at the center is a marble sphere, I would say, and there's a flame that never goes out."

Fire chiefs from around the country will present the families with a rose, a badge and an American flag flown at the U.S. Capitol and the memorial site. Anyone who would like to honor the firefighters can participate in "Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters," this Wednesday through Sunday night, by lighting their homes, businesses and other landmarks with red lights, or by signing a virtual remembrance banner on the foundation's website.

The Foundation was formed in 1992 to not only honor those firefighters who pass away but provide support for their relatives. Through a "Fire Hero Family Network," survivors are matched with others who have similar experiences and circumstances. Stagnaro pointed out assistance is available for however long it's needed.

"We continue to support those families -- through scholarships, through wellness conferences, we have kid's camps -- all other types of activities to help support those families throughout the year," Stagnaro outlined.

He added relatives of people honored in previous years will be in attendance this weekend to offer support to those who are just beginning their journey. This year's tribute is for 226 fallen firefighters nationwide.


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