Regular medical screenings are important to the prevention and early treatment of a variety of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Screenings are tests that look for disease before you show symptoms. You should regularly have your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked, for example.

If you missed National Men’s Health Week (June 10-16), no problem, it is still time to schedule the following medical screenings:
 Colorectal cancer. Men should celebrate turning 50 by having a screening test for colorectal cancer. Those with a family history of the disease may need to be screened earlier. There are a number of screening tests, including the colonoscopy.
 Diabetes. You should especially get screened for diabetes if you have high blood pressure.
 High blood pressure. Have your blood pressure checked at least every two years. High blood pressure increases your risk for stroke, heart attack, kidney and eye problems, and heart failure.

This and similar articles can be found in the June issue of Recovery WORKS!

Research suggests the biological and chemical factors that trigger mental health issues also could influence heart disease. One study released earlier this year identified biological factors in the brain that make an individual vulnerable to stress-induced depression and heart disease. Heart disease and depression will be the number one and number two leading causes of disability in developed countries by the year 2020, according to the World Health Organization. But regular physical activity is a good way to fight heart disease and depression.

Exercise reduces blood pressure and helps you maintain a healthy weight – important factors in preventing heart disease, the leading cause of death in men. Research suggests an exercise training program is as effective as medication in improving the symptoms of depression among older adults diagnosed with the disease. Exercise offers multiple benefits. Here are some tips to boost your physical fitness: 

1. Start walking just 10 minutes a day and build up to 30 minutes. 
2. When walking, pick up the pace from leisurely to brisk. Choose a hilly route. 
3. Mix it up. Walk one day, swim the next, and then go for a bike ride on the weekend. 
4. Join a team. There are adult leagues of all levels in all sports. The social aspect of playing team sports is another boost to heart health and mental health.

For more information like this check out our JUNE issue of Recovery WORKS, now available online!

This is an online resource for people looking for information about mental health. It provides information about the signs of mental illness, how individuals can seek help, and how communities can host conversations about mental health. It also features videos from a number of individuals sharing their stories about mental illness, recovery, and hope.

Also, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will release a Toolkit for Community Conversations About Mental Health to support communities interested in holding discussions about mental health using consistent information and approaches. The Toolkit has three parts: an “Information Brief,” a “Discussion Guide” and an “Organizing Guide.” These components will help communities and individuals start a conversation about mental health and help identify innovative and creative actions to meet the mental health needs of our Nation.

Through MentalHealth.gov and SAMHSA’s Toolkit for Community Conversations About Mental Health, we can all work together to provide youth and adults accurate information about the prevention and treatment of mental health conditions, coupled with open spaces to tell their stories, ask for help, share their successes, and support one another. These conversations will also give us a venue to highlight the importance of recovery, support those in recovery, and offer opportunities for everyone to see that
recovery is possible.

SBIRT is an evidence-based best practice treatment model that promotes a comprehensive, integrated, public health approach to identifying opportunities to detect and treat at-risk substance use before use increases in severity or results in an adverse consequence.  In June 2012, the Arizona Department of Health Services/Division of Behavioral Health Services (ADHS/DBHS) in collaboration with the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth, and Families (GOCYF) and the Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority (NARBHA) rolled out the SBIRT Program in five (5) northern Arizona counties:  Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, and Yavapai.  These counties were selected as focal points for implementation because data indicates that the rates of alcohol and drug related injuries and deaths are the highest in these regions of the state.

As we round the end of the first year of the SBIRT program and reflect on the “bumps in the road” that were encountered, it is clear that this program would not be possible without the ongoing commitment of NARBHA and the Northern Arizona providers that volunteered to implement it.  Although there are many people that have worked to get SBIRT off the ground and deserve recognition for their commitment to this program:

Encompass Health Services

Zack Weiss, Melisa Serventi, Michele Axlund and Joe Wright 

North Country Health Care

Brett DeChambre, Jonathan Gray, Anabel Ledford, Amanda Guay, Eric Henley and Teresa Bertsch 

West Yavapai Primary Care

Michael Frost 

Verde Valley Integrated Clinic and the Primary Care Clinic

Ashley McCabe, Jazmin Cesena, Nicol Moody and Terri Lawler 

And special thanks to all our staff here at ADHS that have worked collaboratively with these providers to help make it possible.

A limited number of scholarships are available for the 14th Annual Summer Institute to be held at the Sedona Hilton Resort July 16-19, 2013. Scholarship applications must be received by noon PST on June 5th, 2013, to be considered. Awardees will be notified via email.

The scholarships will be given to first come first serve submissions.  If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail Brandy Huseman, CABHP Events Coordinator at brandy.huseman@asu.edu and pass along to those individuals or agencies who  you think can benefit from this opportunity.

This year the Division will offer several workshops/presentations on various behavioral health topics, including Mental Health First Aid, during the Summer Institute…for your convenience, here’s the conference agenda listing all the sessions available.

Interested? Apply for a scholarship here.

This training program is free to all Arizona hospitals and can be completed 24/7 from any computer with online access. It awards 1.50 CMEs or CEUs, increases patient safety and reduces re-admission rates. For more information on At-Risk for ED, please visit https://az-ared.kognito.com.

Please note that we have a couple other similar-approach programs for educators and can be found at  http://www.azdhs.gov/bhs/educators/index.htm

In response to the Nevada situation our Department has reviewed any concerns with our RBHA’s to determine if any of the patients that were bused to Arizona were in fact “dumped”.  So far we have not uncovered any evidence that dumping has occurred, although it may be impossible to fully determine that fact without a review of every discharge that happened.

In addition to our behavioral health folks looking into this issue, the Division of Licensing also looks for dumping situations when they do their facility surveys or investigate complaints.  Licensing conducts yearly monitoring surveys to make sure facilities are complying with the rules and monitors for discharge planning. By verifying that clients have appropriate plans and follow-up after they are discharged from the facility, it helps prevent Arizona facilities from “dumping” these clients. Surveyors specifically look at the agency’s discharge criteria and whether they need to include recommendations for future treatment and/or ancillary services and compliance with the requirements found in Arizona state statute for individuals involuntarily discharged…meaning that they need to provide (in writing) a notice to the client about their right to submit a grievance as well as receive the agency’s grievance policy and procedure.

Facilities that do not have evidence of proper discharge planning for their clients may be subject to enforcement and civil money penalties.

In the end the goal of our entire system is to make sure patients can both access appropriate care when necessary and that any transfer of care includes participation by the patient and others that should be involved to make a smooth transition.

But as you can imagine, preventing suicide is complex. As many media outlets have reported, Arizona, like the nation, continues to see an increase in the number of suicides.  We believe that one suicide is one too many.  While the causes of suicide are intricate and determined by a variety of factors, the goal of suicide prevention is straightforward: reduce or remove factors that increase risk while increasing factors that promote resilience.  ADHS and its partners strive to implement effective prevention approaches that address multiple levels of influence: individual, relationship, community, and societal. Effective prevention strategies are needed to promote awareness of suicide and to change the way we think about suicide prevention.

None of these prevention efforts are done alone.  We partner with Indian Health Services, the Veterans Administration and the Arizona Suicide Prevention Coalition to name a few.  One of the main strategies we’ve identified as a need is addressing intentional, self-inflicted poisoning that present in emergency departments (ED).  Hospital EDs in Arizona regularly see these patients and the ED visit can be a powerful teaching moment to motivate patients to seek treatment and reduce readmissions.

That’s why the ADHS offers At-Risk for Emergency Department Staff, an online training simulation designed to prepare medical staff to screen patients at risk for alcohol abuse, drug use and suicide.

 At-Risk for Emergency Department Staff training uses the same gaming technology as many video games, including emotionally responsive avatars. The players can engage in conversations with other avatars, simulating real-life situations.  For example, ED staff will interact with avatars that exhibit symptoms associated with psychiatric illnesses and substance abuse.

The training program is free to Arizona hospitals. To learn more about how At-Risk for Emergency Department Staff improves patient safety by helping reduce poisoning deaths and injuries, please visit https://az-ared.kognito.com. For information on how to implement this training in your ED, contact ADHS at dbhsinfo@azdhs.gov or 1-800-867-5808 and ask for “At-Risk Training,” or “Office of Prevention.”

And if you or someone you know is in psychological distress or having a suicidal crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You can also visit them online: www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

one of our community partner organizations is offering free tickets to tonights Mental Health Day game: Diamondbacks vs Giants.  To get your free ticket please call 602-368-8966.  More details in this flyer: Free Tickets to Mental Health Day game: Diamondbacks vs Giants