Thursday, January 17, 2013

Free Kennel for Pet Owners In Crisis

The Human Services Center, a comprehensive community behavioral health center in New Castle, proudly announces the opening of Caritas PetCare, a free full-service kennel for dogs and cats when the pet’s owner is experiencing a short term crisis: in-patient psychiatric hospitalization, a medical emergency, displacement due to a natural disaster, escape from a domestic violence situation or other such emergency.

Additional Details:

• Owner must reside in Western Pennsylvania
• Owner must meet certain income eligibility requirements
• Pet must be up-to-date on all vaccinations
• Except in limited cases, pets may not stay past 30 days
The HSC staff and residents of the Caritas supportive housing program will care for the pet. A local vet is available when necessary. Funding supported in part by Banfield Charitable Trust.
2910 Princeton Road
New Castle, PA 16101
To arrange a stay, call
724-730-9397

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

New Bazelon Center Analysis on Psychiatric Hospital Bed Availability and Firearm Homicides

This article is from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.

Over the past several years, homicides involving the use of firearms - notably, mass murders that generate significant media attention - have raised questions about the adequacy of mental health services in this country. Some have argued that the disability rights movement, deinstitutionalization and the closure of state hospital beds have significantly contributed to many of the tragic gun-related murders across the country. Such arguments tend to overlook the impact of the nation's failure to fund the comprehensive community mental health systems that were intended to replace outmoded state institutions. Nevertheless, arguments to expand the availability of psychiatric hospital beds have ready appeal, particularly in the wake of tragic mass homicides; increasing the number of psychiatric hospital beds appears to be a straightforward response.
 
A new analysis conducted by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law examines the relationships between states' rates of murder by firearms, incarceration, and the availability of psychiatric hospital beds. If expanding the number of psychiatric beds is a meaningful remedy to firearm related murders in this country, one would expect a clear association between these factors, showing that states with fewer psychiatric hospital beds have higher rates of firearm-related homicides or incarceration.  
 
The Bazelon Center's analysis found, however, that correlations among these factors are strikingly low. The analysis suggests that, to the extent that unaddressed needs of people with serious mental illness contribute to the nation's homicide rate, the public policy answers lie not in increasing the number of psychiatric hospital beds, but elsewhere.