Policy Research
Topic list
COVID-19 Federal Appropriations Summary
By early May 2020, Congress passed four bills in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Substantial funds will flow to health care providers, either directly or through state/local governments. This white paper provides health care related…
Effects of a COVID-Induced Economic Recession (COVID-19 Impact Series, Volume 1)
In April 2020, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) issued the first in a series of white papers analyzing the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic which focused on how an economic recession could…
COVID-19 Jail Diversion Prioritization & Admission Protocol Considerations
In response to numerous requests from Texas counties for guidance on the operation of jails during a pandemic, the Justice Policy Team at the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) developed a March 24, 2020…
Multisystemic Therapy for Texas Youth
Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a proven family- and community-based treatment for at-risk youth with intensive needs and their families. It has proven most effective for treating youth who have committed violent offenses, have serious mental…
Personal Protective Equipment & the Behavioral Health Workforce
The scarcity of coronavirus personal protective equipment (PPE) has been a concern for health care providers across the United States, and that definitely includes the many people who provide in-person services related to severe mental…
Mental Illness & Violence
In the aftermath of mass violence and the furor of the 24-hour news cycle, the words “mental illness” are often used to try to explain a perpetrator’s actions. In many cases, the assumption that mental…
Coordinated Specialty Care
Each year, about 3,000 Texas adolescents and young adults ages 12-35 experience a first episode of psychosis (FEP).Many have access to health insurance through their parents (up to age 26), Medicaid or CHIP, but they…
Coordinated Specialty Care – Payment Strategies
The delivery of coordinated specialty care (CSC) in early psychosis programs transforms lives by changing the trajectory of schizophrenia for youth and young adults. Unfortunately, the future of early psychosis programs is at risk because…
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Overview
In 2011, Seattle, Washington piloted the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program. LEAD, now growing across the country, is an evidence-based, collaborative, pre-arrest diversion program aimed at improving public safety by reducing drug use, drug…