COLUMBIA, Missouri, Nov. 8 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on Nov. 7, 2024: * * * 'The System is Broken': Addressing the Dire Need for Cultural Competency in Health Care By Erica Tricarico It's crucial for journalists covering mental and behavioral health to understand the role cultural competence plays in reducing health disparities and addressing systemic barriers. That was a central theme of a session at AHCJ's fall summit -- the cultural mis  more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, Nov. 8 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on Nov. 7, 2024: * * * Filling Gaps in the Crisis Care Continuum By Kevin Ridder Across the country, cities are rolling out crisis response teams -- some with and some without law enforcement involvement -- to respond to mental and behavioral health emergencies. During a session at AHCJ's 2024 fall summit in Washington, D.C., panelists discussed the importance of filling gaps in the crisi  more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, Nov. 8 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on Nov. 7, 2024: * * * How to Use Data to Improve Coverage of Behavioral and Mental Health By Erica Tricarico Journalists can use data to raise awareness about public health crises like suicide and other behavioral and mental health concerns, panelists said during an AHCJ fall summit session. For example, in 2022 alone, more than 49,000 people died by suicide, according to CDC data. And   more

COLUMBIA, Missouri, Nov. 8 -- The Association of Health Care Journalists issued the following commentary on Nov. 7, 2024: * * * Panelists Outline the Importance of Covering Alcohol Like Other Drugs By Kevin Ridder Alcohol misuse accounts for more than 4 million emergency department visits and nearly 2 million hospitalizations every year. Patricia Powell, deputy director of the federal National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, shared that startling data during a session at AHCJ's O  more