A national mental health hotline aimed at new and expecting parents received was accessed by about 12,000 people in its first 11 months, according to recently released government data.
Driving the news: The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline was launched on Mother's Day last year as part of the Biden administration's efforts to address and improve maternal health in the U.S.
The shortage of behavioral health workers is increasingly making courts and jails de facto providers of mental health services, straining local budgets nationwide, according to a new report from the National Association of Counties.
The big picture: The justice and public safety system was never designed for the task, and while the majority of incarcerated people in state prisons report a history of mental health problems, more than 70% have not received treatment since being jailed.
Thousands of international nurses are stuck in limbo after the State Department stopped processing some visa applications this month, leaving nursing homes and assisted living facilities in a tight spot without a workforce they've already hired.
Why it matters: The situation shows how immigration policies are intertwined with health care workforce issues amid a pandemic-driven nursing shortage.
A fight over nursing home staffing mandates is pitting an industry that was at the epicenter of the pandemic against organized labor and some senior lawmakers in Congress.
The big picture: The Biden administration this spring wants to make every facility have enough adequately trained staff to provide high-quality care. But operators say they can't hire people out of thin air after COVID-19 hollowed out the long-term care workforce.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday sought to draw a contrast with the expiring COVID-19 public health emergency, signing a set of "medical freedom" measures into law, including bans on mask and vaccine mandates, and new conscience protections for health providers.
Why it matters: The potential 2024 presidential contender, has made medical freedom a key issue, casting aspersions on tools aimed at stopping COVID, such as dubbing the vaccines "mRNA jabs."
