Axios reported that women visit community health centers at almost double the rate of men, according to data the CDC compiled from 2022. The report adds to the evidence that women are likelier to be proactive about their health — and their family’s health — than men.

The latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) highlights just how connected Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are to adolescent health. Billed as the most comprehensive data yet on this subject, the report concludes that preventing ACEs could reduce suicide attempts by as much as 89 percent, prescription pain medication misuse by as much as 84 percent, and persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness by as much as 66 percent. Earlier this year, the CDC issued a Rural Policy Brief showing suicide rates have been consistently higher in rural areas than in urban areas over the past two decades. Between 2000-2020, suicide rates increased 46 percent in non-metro areas compared to 27.3 percent in metro areas. A separate CDC Rural Policy Brief on suicide prevention released in July features a case study from a successful program for adolescents in tribal community in New Mexico. In 2018, the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services delivered an in-depth report on the rural context for ACEs, with recommendations for federal policy.

Behavioral health providers are being asked to participate in an important research study titled “Experiences and Trajectories of the Behavioral Workforce in Pennsylvania.” This study aims to better understand the experiences of Pennsylvania’s behavioral health workers and the factors that affect their career paths. Behavioral health workers in Pennsylvania, including individuals who hold a degree that is eligible for licensure (social workers, counselors, and therapists), are encouraged to participate. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The goal of the survey is to better support the behavioral health workforce in Pennsylvania and to address challenges and barriers faced by behavioral health workers. Click here to access the survey. Please share the survey with other behavioral health providers in your organization.

The Journal of the American Medical Association Health Forum published a study from the University of Minnesota, which was based entirely on quantitative analysis of UDS and OPAIS (HRSA 340B) data. The article concluded that as FQHCs’ 340B savings increase, they serve a growing number of “total, uninsured and privately insured patient volume, as well as… low-income, unhoused and non–English-speaking populations.” FQHCs also provide “increased provision of health services that aren’t especially profitable for the facilities, but considered valuable preventative care measures, such as tobacco cessation counseling and HIV tests”.