Andy Steiner is a Twin Cities-based writer and editor. Before becoming a full-time freelancer, she worked as senior editor at Utne Reader and editor of the Minnesota Women’s Press. Email her at asteiner@minnpost.com.
The DOJ report stated that, through its crime-free program, the city of Anoka “discouraged and prevented tenants with mental health disabilities and those associated with them from using its emergency response service.”
Advocates say this level of substance use prevention support is needed by young people in Greater Minnesota. While teens in rural communities struggle with the impact of substance use in levels similar to those in the Twin Cities, support programs in the region are few and far between.
Project CHILD, which has been around for more than 30 years, works to increase the likelihood that those with a history of substance use disorder will be able to maintain sobriety, take their infants home from the hospital and parent them themselves.
While the mentorship program is QUEERSPACE’s cornerstone, the organization also offers youth meetups and parent support.
“People are leaving the sector because of the burnout,” said Chanida Phaengdara Potter. The awards are “a call to say, ‘We value collective care. Let’s live into our values by investing in the mental health of our leaders.’”
“Just like when a loved one dies or when someone breaks up with us, having our children leave home is a very big deal to the human mind,” David Nathan said.
After crisis treatment, clients can stay for longer-term intensive treatment at People Incorporated’s Chicago Avenue program.
Jerry Sparby was principal of Cold Spring Elementary in 2003, when a student at nearby ROCORI High School shot and killed two classmates.
Wellness in the Woods’ Hope on Purpose contract with the Department of Corrections covers four training sessions a year held at different corrections facilities around the state.
Lorie Regenold, 54, admits that she still worries about what her son’s life will be like when she gets older. Making sure he has a safe place to live requires advocacy and effort, Regenold said.
Adedeji’s own experience with deaths in her family pointed to a clear need for more understanding in the Nigerian community about mental illness and its treatments.
Because of Minnesota’s complex licensing requirements, these three internationally trained mental health professionals say they haven’t been able to practice at a level equal to their education and experience since moving to the state.
The project, known as Fast, Reliable, Electronic, Unconscious, Detection, or FREUD, would use measurement of brain activity to detect early, subconscious signals of hesitation or pause over specific images that may signal the early stages of certain conditions.
About a year ago, mental health providers and hospital administrators started meeting weekly to find ways to reduce emergency department stays. They say changes are under way.
Until this spring, when Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill restoring voting rights to ex-felons, Miranda Pacheco would not have been able to vote. Now, her first-ever vote will be for herself.
The Minnesota State Legislature’s recent move to legalize recreational use of the drug for adults over 21 is raising questions for many of her patients’ parents about the availability and impact of cannabis on their teens.
While police officers and paramedics have some training in assisting individuals struggling with mental illness, these situations are often beyond their expertise, and in many cases, taking this route for assistance can be less direct or effective and sometimes dangerous.
In rural parts of the state, the shortage of licensed alcohol and drug counselors is stark. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, in the Twin Cities, there are 2,786 residents for every 1 LADC. In rural areas, the number is 13,576 residents to every 1 LADC.
Despite being new to the peer recovery space, Refocus Recovery has quickly become the leading recipient of state Medicaid dollars going toward peer addiction recovery support, raising questions among other providers.
Organizations whose workers interacted with customers in public spaces, including Metro Transit, saw a need for more training.
