Save our Children, our next generation leaders. Mental Health, Suicide, and Substance Use

 

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Mental Health, Suicide, and Substance Use The latest research and expert insights about mental health, opioids, and recovery issues.
	The Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Mental Health: An Interview with Leigh Fischer   Emerging research suggests the COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting impact on the mental wellbeing of young people. Leigh Fischer discusses the potential rise in suicidal thoughts and behaviors, mental illness, and substance use—and what providers and communities are doing about it.

 

Measuring Recovery-Oriented Services   Recovery-oriented mental health services and programs are essential for veterans with mental illness. Leigh Evans worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs to develop a tool to assess recovery-oriented climate and culture in mental health programs for veterans.

 

Managing Opioid Use and Misuse in Older Adults   Older adults are twice as likely as the general population to have pain, and clinicians often rely on opioid treatment to address that pain. As a result, opioid use, misuse, and opioid use disorder have increased among older adults, who are vulnerable to adverse reactions. Working with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), we’re collecting needed information to help providers improve pain management for older adults.

 

Four Strategies to Improve Mental Health During COVID-19   COVID-19 is hitting younger adults, racial/ethnic minorities, essential workers, and unpaid adult caregivers particularly hard, with disproportionately worse mental health outcomes and increases in substance use and suicidal thoughts. Lisanne Brown discusses four community-level activities key stakeholders should consider.

 

	Screening Tool to Reduce Adverse Drug Effects   How can we reduce the risk of adverse drug events among older adults? In this article, funded by AHRQ, Tara Earl and colleagues explained how de-prescribing interventions—and use of the Screening Tool of Older Persons’ potentially inappropriate Prescriptions (STOPP) criteria—could reduce multiple drug use and associated adverse drug events.

 

Youth Exposed to Fewer Alcohol Ads on Cable TV   Our new study, conducted with the Boston University School of Public Health, found that youth exposure to alcohol ads on cable TV in the U.S. declined from 2018 to 2019. Reducing exposure may be associated with reductions in underage drinking.

 

Justice begins where inequality ends.

 

RACIAL JUSTICE Investing in racial justice     Our historic social bond was meant to meet these extraordinary times. This month, Fortune featured our announcement of $180 million in funding for organizations addressing systemic racism in the US, doubling our commitment to this critical work.   Learn more     CITIES & STATES ¡Viva Puerto Rico! Three years after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Ricans are still rebuilding their homeland. To help them restore the island, we’ve committed $10 million as part of a coalition to support an inclusive recovery. Learn more.   WEST AFRICA A lifeline for local media In West Africa, COVID-19 and Ebola have demonstrated that accurate information from local media can be life-saving. With the Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, we’re working to strengthen these vital platforms and counteract misinformation. Learn more.   NATURAL RESOURCES & CLIMATE CHANGE The Amazon has seen our future Many of our world's most pressing problems are already being experienced by the people living in the Amazon. In this New York Times interactive collection, our grantees Sonia Guajajara and Valerie Paye share what’s happening in the region and how to protect the planet’s future. Explore now.   LEADERSHIP Welcome, Ambassador Power! We’re delighted to share that Amb. Samantha Power has joined our Board of Trustees. From her days as a journalist in Bosnia and Sudan to serving in the United Nations and as a member of President Obama’s cabinet, she has a long record of fighting for justice. Meet Ambassador Power.     CREATIVITY & FREE EXPRESSION Provoking a better future     We asked creatives how they’d transform their fields to meet this moment. Creative Futures, our new series of 40 provocations across the arts, documentary, and journalism, presents possibilities for big changes. Too radical, or has their time come? You decide.   Explore now       Justice begins where inequality ends. Discover more stories at fordfoundation.org and on our social media