Holland Hospital is partnering with TalkSooner to provide parents with free educational resources to prevent youth substance use. The program, endorsed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, aims to equip parents with confidence and tools to have crucial conversations with their kids. The partnership will display TalkSooner's materials at Holland Hospital Outpatient Behavioral Health Services in Holland and make them available on digital monitors at over 20 locations throughout the network.
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2025/04/new-program-brings-youth-drug-use-prevention-resources-to-holland-hospital.htmlA mental health firm is being sued over an alleged "ghost network" of providers, according to a court filing in New York. The lawsuit claims that the company's network was used to bill Medicare for services not provided by actual therapists. Ganny Belloni is the reporter on this story.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/class-action/mental-health-firm-sued-over-alleged-ghost-network-of-providersThe Scripps Howard Fund has selected powerful journalism finalists that tackle pressing social issues, including mental health and criminal justice, environmental crises, and systemic inequities. The work of local newsrooms and national publications alike is sparking impactful conversations about public accountability and human resilience.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scripps-howard-fund-announces-finalists-for-72nd-scripps-howard-journalism-awards-302441537.htmlGoogle's Gemini chatbot is now available with parental guidance, allowing parents to control the content their children interact with during conversations. This feature aims to provide a safer experience for minors on the platform. The update comes as part of Google's efforts to address concerns about online safety and digital well-being.
https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/ai-for-young-minds-google-s-gemini-now-available-with-parental-guidance-what-it-means-for-users-11745936866644.htmlNew York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a "bell-to-bell" policy starting next school year, which bans cellphone use during school hours, including lunch and free periods. The $13.5 million state investment aims to help students store devices safely. This move follows similar restrictions in at least 26 states, including Virginia, where cellphones were banned or restricted last July. Hochul believes the policy will protect kids from addictive technology's negative impact on mental health.
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/04/29/New-York-Kathy-Hochul-school-cell-phone-ban/7941745948022/The Montana Department of Health and Human Services has expressed concerns about the state's hospitals struggling to provide adequate care due to financial constraints and staffing shortages. The agency is seeking $6.5 million in one-time grants to establish jail-based mental health stabilization services, which would allow patients to receive care closer to home in less restrictive settings. However, county officials argue that local services are not available to support this initiative, citing the need for more community-based resources. Matt Kuntz, executive director of the Montana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, emphasizes the importance of addressing these issues first.
https://www.kpax.com/news/western-montana-news/in-a-broken-mental-health-system-a-tiny-jail-cell-becomes-an-institution-of-last-resortA 16-year-old medical aspirant, Tameem Iqbal, hanged himself in his hostel room in Talwandi, Kota, 20 days after joining a coaching centre to prepare for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). This is the third suspected suicide by a coaching student in April alone and the 13th since January. No suicide note was found, and the reason behind Iqbal's extreme step remains unknown.
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/20-days-after-coming-to-kota-neet-aspirant-hangs-self-13th-suicide-this-year-1875835Researchers at the University of Utah's Department of Psychiatry and Huntsman Mental Health Institute have developed RiskPath, an open-source software toolkit using Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) to predict chronic diseases years before symptoms appear. The technology achieved accuracy rates of 85-99% in predicting eight conditions, including depression, anxiety, and metabolic syndrome. Lead researcher Nina de Lacy notes that preventative healthcare is crucial, and RiskPath offers enhanced understanding of disease progression, streamlined risk assessment, and practical risk visualization.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/university-of-utah-researchers-develop-explainable-ai-toolkit-to-predict-disease-before-symptoms-appear-302441018.htmlA school in Australia has decided not to accept all children, with Professor Beazley stating that prospective students and their parents will need to attend an interview before being offered a place. This decision comes as the nation's fastest-growing disability, autism, continues to grow, raising concerns about whether mainstream classrooms are prepared to educate autistic students.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-29/lyn-beazley-academy-school-for-autistic-teens-perth/105229746