Health Journal Online

Tag: Federal

  • Voters Put Preventing Maternal Deaths at the Top of Their Health Agenda, and Federal Data Show 649 Women Died in 2024

    Voters Put Preventing Maternal Deaths at the Top of Their Health Agenda, and Federal Data Show 649 Women Died in 2024

    Asked to name their top two priorities for policymakers on maternal health, registered voters put preventing maternal deaths first, at 32 percent, ahead of early care and intervention during pregnancy at 22 percent.

    The survey, released July 30 by the advocacy organization Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America and conducted by KAConsulting, polled 1,001 registered voters nationwide between July 12 and 16, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Because it was commissioned by an organization advocating for maternal health policy, its framing and question wording reflect that purpose, and the findings should be read as advocacy polling rather than independent research.

    What makes the result worth reporting is that federal surveillance data exist to check it against. Opinion tells you what people want addressed. Vital statistics tell you what is actually happening.

    The Federal Numbers Behind the Priority

    The National Center for Health Statistics published final 2024 maternal mortality data in March. In 2024, 649 women died from maternal causes in the United States, compared with 669 the year before. The rate was 17.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, which NCHS described as not significantly lower than the 2023 rate of 18.6.

    That word matters. The apparent decline is within the range of statistical noise. NCHS notes that maternal mortality rates fluctuate year to year because the absolute number of events is relatively small, and because accuracy in recording maternal deaths on death certificates remains an ongoing data-quality problem the agency is still working on.

    The disparities are larger than the year-to-year movement. For Black non-Hispanic women, the 2024 rate was 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births, three times the rate of 14.2 for white non-Hispanic women. Changes from 2023 to 2024 across racial groups were not statistically significant.

    Age is the other major gradient. Women 40 and older had a maternal mortality rate of 62.3 per 100,000, nearly five times the rate of 13.7 among women younger than 25. Women aged 25 to 39 fell at 16.5.

    Two Different Federal Counts, and Only One Measures Preventability

    Readers encountering different maternal death figures are usually seeing two separate systems, and the distinction matters for the question the poll asked.

    The NCHS figures above count maternal deaths, defined internationally as deaths during pregnancy or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy from causes related to pregnancy. That is a vital statistics count drawn from death certificates.

    A second system, Maternal Mortality Review Committees, examines pregnancy-related deaths, which include deaths up to one full year after the end of pregnancy. These committees are multidisciplinary panels that review individual cases in detail, and they are the only source that assigns preventability determinations and issues recommendations. CDC funds this work through the ERASE MM program, which supports committees across most states and territories.

    That second system is what the poll’s language about “preventing” maternal deaths actually maps onto. A vital statistics count establishes how many women died. A review committee establishes whether the death could have been avoided and what would have changed the outcome. Congress reauthorized the Preventing Maternal Deaths Act in February 2026 through 2030, with $113.5 million appropriated to the account funding this work.

    Where the Poll and the Data Line Up

    Several of the specific policies voters endorsed correspond to problems the surveillance data identify.

    Eighty-eight percent of respondents supported expanding specialty care and telehealth for women with high-risk pregnancies in rural and underserved communities. Access to risk-appropriate care is a recurring theme in review committee findings, and rural obstetric unit closures have lengthened travel distances for delivery in many states.

    Eighty-seven percent supported a whole-health approach including maternal mental health, nutrition, and chronic disease management. That aligns with the extended one-year window review committees use, since deaths in the later postpartum period frequently involve mental health conditions, substance use, and cardiovascular disease rather than delivery complications.

    Across 15 policy proposals tested, 13 drew support from at least 80 percent of respondents, all 15 drew at least 72 percent, and 79 percent said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate supporting them. Fifty-five percent held an unfavorable view of the U.S. health care system overall, and 51 percent viewed it unfavorably specifically on care for women.

    One figure in the poll should be handled carefully. Seventy-two percent said they were more likely to support reforms after being told maternal mortality and morbidity cost the economy $165 billion in 2020. Questions that present a fact before asking for a response measure persuasion, not baseline opinion, and should not be reported as if they measured the latter.

    What Patients and Families Can Do with This

    Nothing in polling changes an individual’s risk. What does change outcomes is recognizing warning signs and being heard when reporting them.

    CDC’s Hear Her campaign identifies urgent maternal warning signs that warrant immediate care during pregnancy and for a full year afterward. They include severe headache that will not go away, changes in vision, trouble breathing, chest pain or a racing heart, severe belly pain, a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, extreme swelling of hands or face, thoughts of harming oneself or the baby, and heavy bleeding.

    The one-year window is the part most often missed. Postpartum visits frequently stop at six weeks, while a substantial share of pregnancy-related deaths occur later. Anyone who gave birth within the past year and develops these symptoms should say so explicitly when seeking care, because clinicians who do not know about a recent pregnancy may not consider pregnancy-related causes.

    Practical steps include identifying the nearest hospital with obstetric capability before delivery, particularly in rural areas, and asking about postpartum Medicaid coverage, which most states have extended to 12 months. Patients whose symptoms are dismissed can ask for the concern to be documented in the chart, request a second opinion, or contact the hospital’s patient advocate.

    What happens next is a data question. NCHS publishes provisional maternal mortality estimates on a rolling basis and final annual figures with roughly a 15-month lag, meaning 2025 final data are not yet available. Whether the flat trend of the past two years turns into a genuine decline will not be answerable for at least another year.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    What did the poll find? Registered voters named preventing maternal deaths their top maternal health priority for policymakers at 32 percent, followed by early care and intervention during pregnancy at 22 percent.

    Who conducted it? KAConsulting for Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America, an advocacy organization. It surveyed 1,001 registered voters July 12 to 16, 2026, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

    How many women die from maternal causes? Federal data recorded 649 maternal deaths in 2024, a rate of 17.9 per 100,000 live births, which NCHS said was not significantly different from 2023.

    How large are the racial disparities? Black non-Hispanic women had a rate of 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024, three times the rate of 14.2 among white non-Hispanic women.

    Why do different maternal death numbers circulate? Vital statistics count deaths within 42 days of pregnancy. Maternal Mortality Review Committees examine pregnancy-related deaths up to one year afterward and assess preventability.

    What warning signs require immediate care? Severe persistent headache, vision changes, trouble breathing, chest pain, severe belly pain, fever of 100.4 or higher, extreme swelling, heavy bleeding, or thoughts of self-harm during pregnancy and for a year after.

    How long does postpartum risk last? Up to a full year. Anyone who gave birth in the past 12 months should tell clinicians about the pregnancy when seeking care for new symptoms.

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  • The Most Effective Community Mental Health Clinic Model Just Received More Than 3 Million in New Federal Funding

    The Most Effective Community Mental Health Clinic Model Just Received More Than $223 Million in New Federal Funding

    The most evidence-based community mental health delivery model in the United States just received its largest single infusion of federal funding in years. On June 17, 2026, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced more than $700 million in new behavioral health investments — including $223.1 million specifically for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) — during a visit to an Easterseals MORC CCBHC clinic in Clinton Township, Michigan.

    The announcement also introduced the STREETS program ($96 million), designed to connect people experiencing homelessness to addiction and mental health treatment, and $211.1 million to improve local 988 crisis line capacity. The total package represents one of the most significant federal investments in community behavioral health since the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022.

    Why This Matters

    The United States faces a profound mental health and substance use disorder crisis that costs lives and strains emergency rooms, jails, hospitals, and families. More than 57 million adults in the U.S. experienced a mental illness in the past year, and more than 28 million had a substance use disorder. Fewer than half of those with mental illness received any treatment.

    The CCBHC model was specifically designed to close that gap. Unlike traditional outpatient mental health clinics that operate on business hours and serve only those who can afford to wait, CCBHCs must provide same-day care regardless of patients’ ability to pay, 24-hour mobile crisis response, integrated treatment for both mental illness and substance use disorders, peer support services, and primary care screening.

    And unlike many promising models in mental health, CCBHCs have been rigorously studied — and the evidence works.

    What We Know So Far

    According to SAMHSA’s grants dashboard, the $223.1 million for CCBHCs breaks down as $94 million for CCBHC Planning, Development, and Implementation grants and $117.1 million for CCBHC Improvement and Advancement grants, plus $12 million for state planning grants. Individual clinic grants can reach up to $1 million per year.

    The HHS announcement specifically framed the investment as part of President Trump’s Great American Recovery Initiative, an anti-addiction and mental health policy platform.

    “Every community deserves access to effective behavioral health services that help people prevent addiction, achieve recovery, address mental health challenges, and respond to crises,” said Christopher D. Carroll, principal deputy assistant secretary of SAMHSA. “Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are a cornerstone of this effort, providing comprehensive, community-based care that helps people sustain recovery and rebuild their lives.”

    What the CCBHC Model Requires

    To be certified as a CCBHC, a clinic must meet nine mandatory service requirements established under Section 223 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 and made permanent under the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Those requirements include:

    • 24-hour mobile crisis response
    • Same-day outpatient mental health and substance use treatment
    • Screening, assessment, and diagnosis
    • Primary care screening and monitoring for chronic disease
    • Peer support and family support services
    • Targeted case management
    • Psychiatric rehabilitation
    • Community-based mental health care for veterans
    • Services for individuals experiencing a substance use disorder, including opioid use disorder

    The requirement that no patient be turned away due to inability to pay — and that same-day care must be available — distinguishes CCBHCs from most mental health providers in the current system.

    Where the Impact Would Be Greatest

    CCBHCs are concentrated in communities that have historically had the least access to behavioral health care: rural areas, low-income urban neighborhoods, and communities with significant populations of people experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, or co-occurring mental illness and medical conditions.

    The CCBHC Medicaid Demonstration Program — which provides enhanced federal Medicaid funding to states that implement the model — now includes 10 new states following a June 2024 expansion round. Colorado submitted a new CCBHC Demonstration application in March 2026, reflecting growing state-level interest in the program.

    States that have implemented the CCBHC Demonstration have seen measurable improvements in access to care, including reductions in emergency department visits and psychiatric hospitalizations for participating patients.

    What Doctors and Experts Say

    Research on the CCBHC model has consistently shown reductions in emergency department visits, reduced psychiatric hospitalizations, improved treatment retention for both mental illness and substance use disorder, and better coordination between behavioral health and primary care.

    According to SAMHSA, the CCBHC Improvement and Advancement grants are designed to “enhance and improve CCBHCs that currently meet the CCBHC Certification Criteria,” recognizing that existing clinics benefit from sustained investment to maintain the demanding services the model requires.

    The announcement of the STREETS program — which specifically focuses on moving people from the streets into treatment and recovery — reflects the connection between untreated mental illness, substance use disorder, and homelessness that advocates have long documented.

    What the Evidence Shows — and What It Does Not

    The CCBHC model has been studied more rigorously than most community mental health approaches. Multiple evaluations of the original eight-state CCBHC Demonstration Program, which began in 2017, documented reduced emergency department visits and hospitalizations, improved access to care in underserved communities, increased treatment retention, and greater integration between behavioral health and primary care.

    The model is not a cure for the U.S. mental health crisis. There are not enough CCBHCs to serve the full population that needs them. The certification process takes 12 to 18 months, meaning new grants announced today will not produce new clinics immediately. And the model requires ongoing federal and state funding to maintain its elevated service requirements — making it more vulnerable to funding disruptions than simpler models.

    Who Faces the Greatest Risk Without Access?

    Communities and individuals most in need of CCBHC services include:

    • Adults with serious mental illness who lack insurance or are enrolled in Medicaid
    • People with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders
    • Veterans with PTSD, depression, or substance use disorders
    • People experiencing homelessness or housing instability
    • Residents of rural counties without local psychiatric care
    • Children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance

    What You Can Do Now

    • Check whether a CCBHC is available in your community. SAMHSA maintains a behavioral health treatment services locator at findtreatment.gov.
    • If you or someone you know is in a mental health or substance use crisis, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. The June 17 announcement also included $211.1 million for 988 capacity expansion.
    • If you are a mental health provider or community organization interested in CCBHC certification, contact your state behavioral health authority for information on the certification process.
    • Patients currently enrolled in Medicaid can ask their caseworker whether CCBHC services are available in their plan.

    Cost and Access: What Patients Should Know

    CCBHCs are required to serve patients regardless of their ability to pay. For uninsured patients, CCBHCs operate on a sliding scale and may coordinate with other federal programs including Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program services, substance use block grants, and community health centers.

    Most CCBHC services are billable to Medicaid, and the CCBHC Demonstration provides enhanced federal Medicaid matching rates to participating states, increasing the financial sustainability of the model.

    What Happens Next

    The grants announced June 17 will be awarded through SAMHSA’s competitive grant process over the coming months. New CCBHC Planning, Development, and Implementation grantees will spend their first year building toward certification, with the goal of becoming fully certified CCBHCs and eventually Medicaid Demonstration participants. MedicalDaily will track the expansion of CCBHC capacity and 988 upgrades as new clinics come online.

    The Bottom Line

    The CCBHC model works, and it just received its largest federal investment in years. These clinics provide same-day psychiatric care, round-the-clock crisis response, and integrated addiction treatment to the communities that need it most — without turning anyone away for inability to pay. For the millions of Americans who cannot access mental health care today, this funding represents a meaningful step toward closing the gap. The next step is getting people through the doors.

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  • HHS Asks the Public What Works for Addiction Treatment in New Federal Request for Comment — Here Is Why It Matters

    HHS Asks the Public What Works for Addiction Treatment in New Federal Request for Comment — Here Is Why It Matters

    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a Request for Information in the Federal Register on June 10, 2026, inviting public comment on which research, programs, and policies have been most successful in treating addiction, improving mental health outcomes, and supporting long-term recovery. The comment period runs through July 5, 2026, and is framed as part of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s broader initiative, the administration has called the “Great American Recovery.”

    The RFI arrives at a sobering moment for American public health. Opioid overdose deaths have remained above 70,000 annually since 2017 and exceeded 80,000 in 2024, making drug overdose one of the leading causes of death among Americans under age 55. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids now account for the vast majority of these deaths. The toll extends far beyond mortality statistics — addiction devastates families, communities, workforce participation, and the children of people with substance use disorders.

    The notice explicitly invites input from patients, people with lived experience of addiction and recovery, healthcare providers, community organizations, and researchers. The framing reflects a genuine uncertainty about the best path forward at the federal level — and, depending on how the administration responds to the comments received, could foreshadow significant shifts in federal drug and mental health policy.

    What the Science Says About Addiction Treatment

    The research base for addiction treatment has expanded substantially over the past two decades, and several evidence-based approaches have demonstrated consistent results. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder — using buprenorphine (Suboxone), methadone, or naltrexone (Vivitrol) — remains the most extensively studied and most effective approach for reducing overdose deaths and helping patients maintain recovery. A landmark 2023 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that patients receiving buprenorphine had significantly lower rates of overdose death than those who did not.

    Despite this evidence, access to MAT remains severely limited. Fewer than 20 percent of people with opioid use disorder receive it, partly due to stigma, provider reluctance to prescribe, geographic disparities, and insurance barriers. Advocacy groups and harm reduction organizations have consistently pushed for more accessible prescribing, expanded availability in emergency departments, and removal of administrative barriers to buprenorphine.

    Residential treatment, peer support specialists, contingency management (which uses positive reinforcement to promote drug-free behavior and is especially effective for stimulant use disorders), and community-based case management have all shown benefit in specific contexts. Mental health co-treatment is also increasingly recognized as essential, given that the majority of people with substance use disorders have co-occurring anxiety, depression, trauma, or other psychiatric conditions.

    Harm reduction strategies — needle exchange programs, naloxone distribution, fentanyl test strips, supervised consumption sites — have a strong evidence base for reducing overdose deaths and HIV transmission, though they remain politically controversial and are not universally available.

    What Advocates Want the Administration to Hear

    Public health advocates are watching this comment process closely. Many are hoping the RFI signals a genuine commitment to expanding evidence-based treatment access rather than a pivot toward approaches that lack a strong scientific foundation. Questions about how the Kennedy-led HHS will address the scientific consensus on MAT, harm reduction, and the role of abstinence-only models will shape the federal response for years.

    The comment process is open to all members of the public at federalregister.gov. Comments submitted by the July 5, 2026 deadline will inform HHS policy development.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Q: What is the HHS asking for in this public comment request?

    A: HHS is seeking input on which addiction treatment programs, policies, and research approaches have been most successful — to guide future federal policy and funding priorities.

    Q: What are the most effective treatments for opioid use disorder?

    A: Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) using buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone has the strongest evidence base. Combined with counseling and support services, MAT significantly reduces overdose deaths.

    Q: How many Americans die of opioid overdoses each year?

    A: Opioid overdose deaths exceeded 80,000 in 2024. Fentanyl and synthetic opioids now account for the vast majority of these deaths.

    Q: How can I submit comments to the HHS RFI?

    A: Comments can be submitted at federalregister.gov by the July 5, 2026 deadline.

    Q: What is harm reduction and why is it controversial?

    A: Harm reduction includes strategies like naloxone distribution, needle exchanges, and fentanyl test strips that reduce the risks of drug use without requiring abstinence. Evidence strongly supports their effectiveness, but they remain politically controversial in some settings.

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