Topic list
‘COVID ProTEXion Campaign’ boosts awareness, vaccinations for Texans with severe mental illness
By Geoffrey Melada When the COVID-19 outbreak first hit the country in January 2020, William Boyd, executive director of PHOENIX House in Abilene, Texas, a membership-based community for people living with mental illness or trauma,…
Andy Keller, PhD, Testifies Before U.S. Senate Committee on Finance about Parity & Care Integration
On Wednesday, March 30, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute President and CEO, Andy Keller, PhD, is presenting invited testimony to the United States Senate Committee on Finance to discuss ways of ensuring parity and integration…
Frustrated, exhausted, scared: Omicron exacerbates pandemic mental health concerns
This article was originally published by The Texas Tribune on December 24, 2021. Earlier this week, someone called the state’s COVID-19 mental health support line to talk through their family’s decision to cancel Christmas celebrations…
Why is the CDC missing in action on severe mental illnesses?
This article was authored by Dr. Thomas R. Insel and Meadows Institute CEO Andy Keller and was originally published by STAT News on November 18, 2021. In October, the CDC updated its list of medical…
CEO Andy Keller Testifies on COVID-19 Mental Health Impacts, Recommendations
AUSTIN – Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute President and CEO Andy Keller, PhD, presented invited testimony to the Texas House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Article II, Thursday morning about the significant mental health impacts of…
2020 Devastated U.S. Mental Health — Healing must be a Priority
This opinion piece was coauthored by the Meadows Institute’s Andy Keller, PhD and National Alliance on Mental Illness CEO, Daniel H. Gillison, Jr. It was originally published by The Hill on February 23, 2021. It…
Primary Care Is Key to Reversing COVID-Related Suicide, Overdose Trends
The post below by the Meadows Institute’s Andy Keller, PhD, was originally posted by American Communities Project on January 22, 2021. Even as we were in the process of projecting them, the numbers were sobering….
Philanthropy Roundtable Survey: Children’s Mental Health Funding in the Time of COVID-19
The post below coauthored by the Meadows Institute’s Patrick Tennant, PhD, and The Hackett Center for Mental Health’s Gary Blau, PhD, was originally posted by Philanthropy Roundtable on December 7, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken…
Pandemic Fallout: Highlighting the Need for Better Mental Healthcare
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the dire need for broad and affordable access to mental healthcare and resources. The isolation of the last few months, fear of illness, record unemployment and countless other stressors…
Policing in a Pandemic: Peer Support Webinar Series
In April 2020, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute began filming the “Policing in a Pandemic” virtual peer support series in partnership with the Caruth Police Institute. Guest speakers were invited to discuss topics such as…
COVID-19 Resources For Parents & Caregivers
Resources developed by our Child and Family Policy Team and compiled from other organizations in Texas and nationally addressing child development, parent and caregiver support, return to school and more are provided below. In communities…
COVID-19 Resources For Your Mental Health
A list of resources compiled from state and national organizations for those who are experiencing mental health needs related to COVID-19 are provided below. In communities across Texas, families are facing the challenges arising from…
PTSD after COVID-19: ‘No doubt’ it’ll happen,’ says NIMH director
The after-effects of the coronavirus pandemic — which still has no foreseeable end — will likely last long after the worst of the disease has receeded. “I have no doubt that there are some people…
COVID-19’s Mental Health Toll Amplifies Importance of World Suicide Prevention Day
AUSTIN – Every year in America thousands of lives are tragically lost to suicide. This year, the mounting mental health toll of COVID-19 has intensified the need for awareness and the urgency for ensuring access…
CoCM & MAT to Prevent COVID-Related Suicide & Overdose Deaths (COVID-19 Impact Series, Volume 3)
In April, MMHPI began releasing a series of white papers analyzing the potential effects of a COVID-19 recession on rates of suicide and substance use disorder among the general population and among veterans. In those,…
Here’s how Texas must prepare for long battle with COVID-19 mental health issues
The devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on mental health in our country — from anxiety to depression to suicide — will require a robust response from federal, state and local officials. As the sharp…
Nueces County counselors give tips for coping with mental health during pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic wears on, and so does its toll on people’s mental health as they navigate isolation, stress, anxiety and grief. Experts expect increases in suicide and substance abuse linked to rising unemployment in Texas…
Texas legislature should put mental health funding first during pandemic
When the Texas Legislature convenes in January, there will be no shortage of coronavirus-related issues demanding action, from the many hours of lost instructional time for our students to a surge in Texans who have…
Impacts of a COVID-Induced Economic Recession on MHSUD in Veterans (COVID-19 Impact Series, Volume 2)
In our first in a series of white papers on the anticipated impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute sought to examine and project the impacts of COVID-19 on the mental health…
Coping with Grief & Loss During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Tens of thousands of Americans have died in the COVID-19 pandemic. This is by far one of the most significant disasters in U.S. history, and the loss of life is unprecedented; now exceeding over 100,000…