Dr. Gregory Fritz Dicusses Shortage of Mental Health Service Providers in RI
August 25, 2008 - Dr. Gregory Fritz, Academic Director at Bradley Hospital and a member of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT's Board of Directors, spoke with the Providence Business News about the shortage of mental health service providers, its impact on children, and what can be done. Read the article, Five Questions With: Dr. Gregory Fritz.

New Report About Mental Health Resources for Immigrant Children Available
August 6, 2008 - The report, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through the national program Caring Across Communities: Addressing Mental Health Needs of Diverse Children and Youth, provides a summary of the mental health needs of immigrant and refugee children. The report also outlines important issues to consider when determining the quality of assessment measures and conducting comprehensive assessments.

2008 Report on Key National Indicators of Child Well-Being Available Online
July 14, 2008 - The newly released America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2008 profiles the status of the nation's children and youth, presenting up-to-date federal statistics on a variety of issues in one convenient reference. According to the report, math and reading scores of fourth and eighth graders have increased, but also shows that the teen birth rate and the proportion of infants born at low birthweight have also risen.

Helping States Improve Quality of Care for Kids in Medicaid Managed Care
July 10, 2008 - In a new report, Monitoring and Assessing the Use of External Quality Review Organizations to Improve Services for Young Children: A Toolkit for State Medicaid Agencies, a team of researchers show state Medicaid officials how they can work with external quality review organizations to evaluate and improve the quality of preventive and developmental services delivered to children enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans.

Report Inspires Legislation to Address Young Adults With Mental Illness
July 2, 2008 - Following a release of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report finding that at least 2.4 million young adults aged between 18-26 had a serious mental illness in 2006, legislation has been introduced that would authorize state grants for the development of statewide coordination of mental health services for young adults. The GAO report, Young Adults With Serious Mental Illness, further shows that 90% of those identified had more than one mental disorder and faced significant challenges in completing high school. GAO authors detail that access to available programs is often times difficult due to the number of provided services in the area; lack of stable employment; lack of adequate housing; and costs associated with mental health treatment all result in disrupting the continuity of services needed for treatment.

New RI Parent's Guide to Children's Mental Health
May 19, 2008 - The newly released Rhode Island Parents’ Guide to Children’s Mental Health is a one-stop resource for parents who have questions about children’s mental health issues or need guidance on how to navigate the mental health care system.

New Data on Adolescent Mental Health
One in five adolescents experience significant symptoms of emotional distress and nearly one in ten are emotionally impaired according to the report, Mental Health of Adolescents: A National Profile, 2008, by The National Adolescent Health Information Center. The report presents national data on various measures of adolescent mental health.

Bulletin Focuses on Mental Health Needs in Juvenile Justice
The Research & Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health has published the latest edition of "Focal Point." The Summer 2006 issue describes the need for, and provides examples of, new strategies for meeting the mental health needs of children and adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system.

Articles include:
-Corrections: New Strategies for Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Youth in Juvenile Justice
-A Blueprint for Change: Improving the System Response to Youth with Mental Health Needs Involved with the Juvenile Justice System 

The Impact of Maternal Depression on Young Children
Maternal depression is a significant risk factor that affects the well-being and school readiness of young children. This report presents the importance of addressing maternal depression as part of initiatives to ensure that young children enter school ready to succeed.