A panel debated the pros and cons of marijuana legalization in Pittsburgh on Friday. The debate, entitled Medical and Recreational Marijuana: Scientific, Legal and Societal Considerations featured several local panelists with opposing views.
The panel was held after California voters Tuesday rejected a proposal to legalize marijuana for recreational use and there is a bill in the Pennsylvania legislature to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. Among the speakers was Lisa Freeland, a federal public defender for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She said the money spent on law enforcement and incarceration for non-violent drug offenders would be better spent on education and drug treatment.
"One of the things we know particularly with non-violent drug offenders is that the majority of offenders that are incarcerated today suffer from drug addiction. So, putting some money into treatment and alternatives to incarceration would not only shift the focus of our policy but also yield substantial savings I believe."
Another speaker Frederick Thieman, former US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania is opposed to the legalization of marijuana. He said there is not enough research done on marijuana to consider legalizing the drug.
"The subject has not been researched well enough and breaking the status quo so to say of non-legality right now is a dangerous step in terms of the overall costs to society unless the topic is researched to a much greater degree."
Showing posts with label Behavioral Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Behavioral Health. Show all posts
Friday, November 5, 2010
Rosalynn Carter Interview
Back when she first lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter advocated for the rights of those with mental illness.
And in the decades since her husband left the White House she’s stayed active in the field. She created the Carter Center Mental Health Task Force, an advisory board that works for change in the field. And more recently, she testified before a House Subcommittee to get the mental health parity law passed.
Last week she came to Pittsburgh to speak at The PostPartum Support International and Marce Society conference on Women’s Mental Health.
She spoke about her years of work as an advocate for those with mental illness.
"One of the highlights of my life came not too long after Jimmy was elected…the great anthropologist Margaret Mead came to see me. It was so wonderful and she came to see me for taking on this issue and how can you give it up? When Margaret Mead comes to thank you? And she came to thank me, she came to see me in the White House, we went to Canada together for meetings, but what she told me that first day was it was not going to be easy. And she was right," she told the crowd.
Before her speech, she spoke with DUQ's Erika Beras about her advocacy and her new book Within Our Reach, Ending the Mental Health Crisis.
Listen the the interview here.
And in the decades since her husband left the White House she’s stayed active in the field. She created the Carter Center Mental Health Task Force, an advisory board that works for change in the field. And more recently, she testified before a House Subcommittee to get the mental health parity law passed.
Last week she came to Pittsburgh to speak at The PostPartum Support International and Marce Society conference on Women’s Mental Health.
She spoke about her years of work as an advocate for those with mental illness.
"One of the highlights of my life came not too long after Jimmy was elected…the great anthropologist Margaret Mead came to see me. It was so wonderful and she came to see me for taking on this issue and how can you give it up? When Margaret Mead comes to thank you? And she came to thank me, she came to see me in the White House, we went to Canada together for meetings, but what she told me that first day was it was not going to be easy. And she was right," she told the crowd.
Before her speech, she spoke with DUQ's Erika Beras about her advocacy and her new book Within Our Reach, Ending the Mental Health Crisis.
Listen the the interview here.
Monday, November 1, 2010
"Living With" Airs on 90.5FM
WDUQ has launched a new series, “Living With.” Behavioral Health Reporter Erika Beras spoke to people throughout the region about what it is like to live with behavioral health problems and mental illness. Their profiles will air on 90.5 FM WDUQ throughout the month of November. As the stories air they will be posted on our web page. A short interview with Erica Beras speaking about how the series came to be has also been posted to the web. All of the stories in our focus on Behavioral Health series can also be found online.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Searching for A Cure
As the population ages and is increasingly at risk for developing Alzheimer’s Disease, researchers continue searching for a cause and a cure.
Curcumin, commonly known as the spice Turmeric has been shown to have beneficial effects in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The catch? A person would have to consume pounds and pounds of it a day or take 400 tablets of a supplement daily.
But with the help of a new foundation’s money researchers at The University of Pittsburgh and Harvard University are working together to create new drugs that will slow or cure the disease. And their focus is on the spice.
"Ninety nine point nine nine nine percent gets broken down – its thrown out by the body. So what they’re trying to do is find that 000.1 percent of curcumin that would get to the brain from pounds gets to the brain from taking one little pill. So that’s the whole idea here to make a curcumin derivative that’s stabile in the body but still does the same thing that curcumin does," said Bill Klunk, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Pittsburgh and Co-Director of the Alzheimer Disease Research Center.
This week they received $400,000 from The Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, a local foundation.
Alzheimer’s Disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that destroys memory and thinking skills. Five million Americans have it. By 2050, 16 million Americans are expected to have the disease.
Curcumin, commonly known as the spice Turmeric has been shown to have beneficial effects in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The catch? A person would have to consume pounds and pounds of it a day or take 400 tablets of a supplement daily.
But with the help of a new foundation’s money researchers at The University of Pittsburgh and Harvard University are working together to create new drugs that will slow or cure the disease. And their focus is on the spice.
"Ninety nine point nine nine nine percent gets broken down – its thrown out by the body. So what they’re trying to do is find that 000.1 percent of curcumin that would get to the brain from pounds gets to the brain from taking one little pill. So that’s the whole idea here to make a curcumin derivative that’s stabile in the body but still does the same thing that curcumin does," said Bill Klunk, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Pittsburgh and Co-Director of the Alzheimer Disease Research Center.
This week they received $400,000 from The Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, a local foundation.
Alzheimer’s Disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that destroys memory and thinking skills. Five million Americans have it. By 2050, 16 million Americans are expected to have the disease.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Picky Eating Registry
Last week, researchers at The University of Pittsburgh and Duke University launched the first national registry of picky eating in adults.
We all know a picky eater - someone who just won’t eat broccoli or strawberries. And there are all types of selective eating for health or cultural or religious reasons.
But researchers say there is a psychological difference between selective eating and picky eating. Marsha Marcus runs the Center for Overcoming Problem Eating at Western Psych. With colleagues at Duke, she has develop an Internet registry that they hope will help researchers better understand the causes and effects of picky eating.
"It's only for a very few people where these problems become sufficiently extreme where they can interfere with a persons well being, their social life, jobs, interpersonal relationships," she said.
Marcus is part of a group that’s reviewing diagnostic criteria for the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the unofficial bible of psychiatry. Picky eating, now a childhood disorder will include adults and be renamed Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. The new DSM is scheduled for a 2013 release.
The registry is called the Finicky Eating in Adults or FAD and so far, more than 1,500 people have signed up. Marcus does not expect that they are all diagnosable picky eaters- but she says the information will help them determine between normal weird eating and picky eating.
We all know a picky eater - someone who just won’t eat broccoli or strawberries. And there are all types of selective eating for health or cultural or religious reasons.
But researchers say there is a psychological difference between selective eating and picky eating. Marsha Marcus runs the Center for Overcoming Problem Eating at Western Psych. With colleagues at Duke, she has develop an Internet registry that they hope will help researchers better understand the causes and effects of picky eating.
"It's only for a very few people where these problems become sufficiently extreme where they can interfere with a persons well being, their social life, jobs, interpersonal relationships," she said.
Marcus is part of a group that’s reviewing diagnostic criteria for the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the unofficial bible of psychiatry. Picky eating, now a childhood disorder will include adults and be renamed Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. The new DSM is scheduled for a 2013 release.
The registry is called the Finicky Eating in Adults or FAD and so far, more than 1,500 people have signed up. Marcus does not expect that they are all diagnosable picky eaters- but she says the information will help them determine between normal weird eating and picky eating.
HUD Money Comes to The Commonwealth
More than 21 million federal dollars will be helping Pennsylvania’s low-income seniors and people with mental and developmental disabilities get housing.
The money will come from The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD. It’ll help non-profit developers produce accessible housing to the low-income elderly and people with disabilities, groups who typically have difficulty securing affordable housing.
The money will be split up among facilities in Philadelphia, Verona, Erie, New Kensington and Beaver Falls.
Jeffrey Huber is the CEO of Supportive Services in Beaver Falls. His organization is getting over a million dollars to rehabilitate an existing building into permanent housing for nine low-income people with chronic mental illness.
"A lot of the people that we serve if it weren’t for the HUD programs that we’re involved with they wouldn’t have a place to call home."
Maria Bynum, who works for HUD says more than providing a place to live, this money will also help provide a sense of self.
"For someone whose on a limited income its important to be able to afford a place where you can age with grace and dignity and be proud of where you live," she said.
HUD is also funding projects in 45 other states.
The money will come from The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD. It’ll help non-profit developers produce accessible housing to the low-income elderly and people with disabilities, groups who typically have difficulty securing affordable housing.
The money will be split up among facilities in Philadelphia, Verona, Erie, New Kensington and Beaver Falls.
Jeffrey Huber is the CEO of Supportive Services in Beaver Falls. His organization is getting over a million dollars to rehabilitate an existing building into permanent housing for nine low-income people with chronic mental illness.
"A lot of the people that we serve if it weren’t for the HUD programs that we’re involved with they wouldn’t have a place to call home."
Maria Bynum, who works for HUD says more than providing a place to live, this money will also help provide a sense of self.
"For someone whose on a limited income its important to be able to afford a place where you can age with grace and dignity and be proud of where you live," she said.
HUD is also funding projects in 45 other states.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Therapy Dogs Help the Ailing
No matter who you are, its hard to keep a bright outlook when you have a life-limiting or terminal illness. Therapy dogs can make rounds in hospitals and hospices and comfort some very sick people. We made medical rounds with them. Listen to the story here.
In this photo, Crystal Stoyanoff gets a visit from Draco, a therapy dog.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Chef Speaks About Life Behind Bars and Over A Stove
Chef Jeff Henderson Jeff Henderson, a chef on the Food Channel spoke to local ex-offenders and at-risk youth in Homestead on Thursday.
Eugene Ziegler was among the audience members who asked Chef Jeff Henderson for advice. Ziegler is a 52 year old Marine Veteran and trained cook. He’s also a recovering drug addict and ex-offender. He’s got post-traumatic stress disorder. And he says, low self-esteem. It’s been hard for him to find work.
Like Ziegler, Henderson is a former felon. A former drug-trafficker, he spent ten years in prison where he learned to cook. Upon release, he worked his way up to becoming an executive chef at top restaurants, got a TV show and authored a book.
Although he achieved fame as a chef, Henderson said he’s often asked to speak to ex-felons and at-risk youth about his life.
Makinma Gustave, 35, has been in and out of prison over the last eight years. The Homestead woman said she finds Henderson’s story inspiring.
Ex-offenders have a higher unemployment rate than the general public.
Eugene Ziegler was among the audience members who asked Chef Jeff Henderson for advice. Ziegler is a 52 year old Marine Veteran and trained cook. He’s also a recovering drug addict and ex-offender. He’s got post-traumatic stress disorder. And he says, low self-esteem. It’s been hard for him to find work.
Like Ziegler, Henderson is a former felon. A former drug-trafficker, he spent ten years in prison where he learned to cook. Upon release, he worked his way up to becoming an executive chef at top restaurants, got a TV show and authored a book.
Although he achieved fame as a chef, Henderson said he’s often asked to speak to ex-felons and at-risk youth about his life.
Makinma Gustave, 35, has been in and out of prison over the last eight years. The Homestead woman said she finds Henderson’s story inspiring.
Ex-offenders have a higher unemployment rate than the general public.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
County Overdose Initiative Holds Meeting
In light of the Methadone Accountability Package proposed earlier this month, members of the Allegheny County Overdose Initiative held a meeting in Oakland to discuss overdose prevention strategies. They heard from speakers Robert Newman and Holly Catania, who do overdose prevention work in New York and have collaborated with members of the initiative here.
The Methadone Accountability Package includes bills that would keep track of methadone deaths and prohibit driving while on methadone. It also includes controversial bills that would require drug-users be users for a certain length of time to be eligible and would require two failed non-methadone attempts to get off of drugs before becoming eligible for a prescription.
Methadone deaths have been rising for the last ten years but Newman said that was due to doctors prescribing methadone for pain.
The Methadone Accountability Package includes bills that would keep track of methadone deaths and prohibit driving while on methadone. It also includes controversial bills that would require drug-users be users for a certain length of time to be eligible and would require two failed non-methadone attempts to get off of drugs before becoming eligible for a prescription.
Methadone deaths have been rising for the last ten years but Newman said that was due to doctors prescribing methadone for pain.
Money Follows The Person
A federal initiative is helping institutionalized Pennsylvanians move into the community. It's called Money Follows the Person - and is representative of a shift in the way health care and social services are delivered.
It’s a 29 state federal effort to move people out of long-term living facilities like nursing homes or institutions. The person determines how their federal and state money will be spent. They make modifications to their personal homes or pay the health care providers they chose, for example.
In Pennsylvania, Money Follows the Person is a spin-off of the Nursing Home Transition Program, which had been helping people move into the community and linking them to services, transportation and delivered meals. Although there is an initial up-front cost to moving people, the program should ultimately save states and the federal government money.
The programs are part of a larger cultural movement of de-institutionalization following a 1999 Supreme Court decision. It required services be provided in the least restrictive setting possible.
Listen here.
It’s a 29 state federal effort to move people out of long-term living facilities like nursing homes or institutions. The person determines how their federal and state money will be spent. They make modifications to their personal homes or pay the health care providers they chose, for example.
In Pennsylvania, Money Follows the Person is a spin-off of the Nursing Home Transition Program, which had been helping people move into the community and linking them to services, transportation and delivered meals. Although there is an initial up-front cost to moving people, the program should ultimately save states and the federal government money.
The programs are part of a larger cultural movement of de-institutionalization following a 1999 Supreme Court decision. It required services be provided in the least restrictive setting possible.
Listen here.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Researchers Developing Phone Application To Treat Depression
If your phone is indispensible and you use it to check email, take pictures and listen to music then why shouldn’t you use it to treat an illness? Local researchers are testing a phone application they’ve developed that might help people with depression.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, used to treat depression, often consists of homework – where a therapist and patient come up with unique activities to assist in their treatment. These are supposed to be done independently. Judy Callon, a research assistant professor at The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Nursing worked to develop the application with researchers at Carnegie Mellon. She says many people often don’t do their independent treatments but with the convenience of them being on one’s cell phone – they might.
"When you do the homework you do get better faster and it really does improve the clinical outcome. So my thought was if we made use of something, an article that was near to us all the time, that might help us do our homework all through the day that it might really help depressed patients get better faster," she said.
The phone will be tested in the next few months. Callan hopes if the application tests successfully, that it would be downloadable. She stresses that it would be used in addition to, not in place of therapy.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, used to treat depression, often consists of homework – where a therapist and patient come up with unique activities to assist in their treatment. These are supposed to be done independently. Judy Callon, a research assistant professor at The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Nursing worked to develop the application with researchers at Carnegie Mellon. She says many people often don’t do their independent treatments but with the convenience of them being on one’s cell phone – they might.
"When you do the homework you do get better faster and it really does improve the clinical outcome. So my thought was if we made use of something, an article that was near to us all the time, that might help us do our homework all through the day that it might really help depressed patients get better faster," she said.
The phone will be tested in the next few months. Callan hopes if the application tests successfully, that it would be downloadable. She stresses that it would be used in addition to, not in place of therapy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)