BOSTON (PRWEB)
December 15, 2020

A new report from The Fenway Institute finds that older LGBTQ adults in the Commonwealth report being diagnosed with depression at twice the rate of their straight, cisgender peers, and are twice as likely to fall and be injured in a fall over the past year. It also finds that while older LGBTQ adults are more likely to hold a college degree, they are more likely to report having had difficulty paying for housing or food over the past year. LGBTQ older adults living in rural areas of the state expressed concern about the lack of options for LGBTQ-affirming health care, as well as their on-going experiences with strong anti-LGBTQ prejudice and harassment in public settings and senior housing.

Titled “LGBT Aging 2025: Strategies for Achieving a Healthy and Thriving LGBT Older Adult Community in Massachusetts,” the report is based on data collected during nine listening sessions—five in-person and four virtual—organized between June 2019 and June 2020. The report also contains new information about LGBTQ people age 50 to 75 based on new analyses of public health data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the state’s Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Problems related to social isolation and the lasting impact of trauma associated with systemic anti-LGBTQ discrimination were raised most frequently at each of the nine listening sessions. LGBTQ older adults who are also Black, Indigenous, and People of Color reported feelings of deep alienation from the LGBTQ community when they experienced racism from White LGBTQ older adults. Long-term survivors of HIV expressed concerns about being able to find doctors skilled in providing HIV care. LGBTQ adults of every race and gender expressed concern about their ability to pay for health care.

The public health data show that as compared with their straight, cisgender peers, LGBT older adults report higher rates of fair/poor overall health. They experienced suicidal thoughts in the past year at four times the rate of their peers, and were more likely to report serious difficulty in concentrating, remember, or making decisions.

“These findings are deeply troubling and point to the need for vigorous enforcement of existing state and federal law prohibiting anti-LGBTQ discrimination, as well as targeted interventions to reduce social isolation among LGBTQ older adults and meet their unique health care needs,” said Sean Cahill, PhD, Director of Health Policy Research at The Fenway Institute and author of the report.

One successful intervention witnessed in real-time as the listening sessions proceeded was the creation of online, virtual social gatherings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the first five listening sessions were conducted in person in Barnstable, Boston, Pittsfield, Salem, and Worcester, the last four were conducted online. Although many listening session participants reported difficulties with accessing the Internet and navigating online platforms such as Zoom, some said that they were able to connect more easily with others because everything is online. Many isolated elders with mobility issues are less socially isolated now because so much programming is virtual.

Other themes brought up in the listening sessions include:

• Lack of reliable and affordable transportation, especially in rural and suburban areas
• The need for affirming, ongoing mental health care, including grief support for widows and widowers
• Anti-LGBTQ discrimination in assisted living and senior housing facilities
• Gender-based anti-LGBTQ sexual harassment in businesses and health care settings in the Berkshires
• The need for LGBTQ-friendly housing
• The need for computers and tablets and assistance using them, and Internet access in order to participate in virtual support groups that have been created during the COVID-19 pandemic
• The need for assistance navigating Medicare insurance options and the health care system
• The need to change existing rules so that HIV-positive individuals younger than 60 can access home care services

Although much of the data documented health disparities, some data evidenced resilience. For example, despite decades of anti-LGBTQ policies, LGBTQ older adults in Massachusetts were almost as likely as straight, cisgender older adults to be raising children and to be veterans.

“Although a lot of the information in this report focuses on health risks and disparities, we also found that LGBTQ older adults are resilient, in part, because they’ve had dramatically different life experiences than their straight and cisgender peers,” Cahill added. “They came of age when same-sex behavior or crossing gender boundaries was subject to imprisonment or institutionalization. Homosexuality was against the law in all 50 states into the early 1960s, and classified as a mental illness until 1973. Many LGBTQ people were shunned by their families. Many LGBTQ elders lost their life partners and social networks to HIV/AIDS. This is a population that has experienced a lot of trauma and its effects are on-going. But they are survivors.”

The report “LGBT Aging 2025: Strategies for Achieving a Healthy and Thriving LGBT Older Adult Community in Massachusetts,” is available online: https://fenwayhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/LGBT-Aging-2025-Report-December-2020.pdf

About Fenway Health & The Fenway Institute

Since 1971, Fenway Health has been working to make life healthier for the people in our neighborhoods, the LGBTQIA+ community, people living with HIV/AIDS and the broader population. The Fenway Institute at Fenway Health is an interdisciplinary center for research, training, education and policy development focusing on national and international health issues.

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GLENBROOK, Nev. (PRWEB)
December 12, 2020

Tony Hsieh’s tragic death and CNN movie “Mostly Human” bring up a painful truth – in addition to the pandemic, there’s an entrepreneurship mental health crisis. Globally, studies show higher rates of symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychological distress, and stress compared to pre-pandemic times. During the pandemic, people put in three extra hours of work a day making work-life balance even more elusive. Burnout is on the rise.

Success is not long hours building a business. That’s a modern myth. A lie. Hustle Culture is detrimental. It’s toxic. It’s not sustainable. It turns out, it’s not even productive. It’s jeopardizing business growth. It impacts human progress. It takes lives.

A recent study by Michael Freeman from the University of San Francisco found out that almost half of entrepreneurs suffer from at least one form of mental health condition during their life.

Freeman’s research has shown that start-up founders are:

• Twice as likely to suffer from depression
• Six times more likely to suffer from ADHD
• Three times more likely to suffer from substance abuse
• 10 times more likely to suffer from bipolar disorder
• Twice as likely to have a psychiatric hospitalization
• Twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts

We are literally dying from Hustle Culture. During these difficult months of the pandemic, with stay at home orders, there is a silver lining. An opportunity for new leadership. New investors’ mindset. New focus on entrepreneurs’ well-being. When entrepreneurs take back their time and health, they can tap into more flow, energy, and productivity and unleash their full potential. It’s a counterintuitive but scientifically proven solution.

When the founder of Unhustle burnt out, she knew she had to do things differently. Based on her personal experience and backed up by countless studies and science, Unhustle has become a worldwide phenomenon. She’s planning World Unhustle Day on Dec 29, 2020 to spark a movement. Startup founders, entrepreneurs and leaders from all over the world are speaking up in favor of World Unhustle Day.

Christopher Lochhead, #1 Apple business podcaster, author, three time Silicon Valley CMO and category designer from Santa Cruz puts it bluntly: “The hustle porn industry has done more to hurt entrepreneurs than any other group in recent memory. Yes hard work matters. But, success is about designing a legendary LIFE. Not becoming a slave to a business. Keep “hustling” and you’ll find yourself divorced, fat, and sick with kids who think you’re an asshole. It’s time to Unhustle. It’s time to design businesses that work for our lives, not lives that work for our businesses.”

Sasha Shillcutt, Founder & CEO of Brave Enough, posted a video about it. Entrepreneurs and leaders from around the world are joining us.

To get involved, take the pledge now to participate in World Unhustle Day. Then on Dec 29, share on social media how you and your team #unhustle.

Unhustle is revolutionizing the way we live and work (and in that order).

If you would like more information about this topic, please call Milena Regos at 775.771.6863 or email milena@unhustle.com.

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EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. (PRWEB)
December 09, 2020

The Behavioral Health Crisis in our nation is only getting worse as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. IDYA4 has now launched its new platform, the Real Time Intervention Platform (RTIP) to directly address this crisis. The occurrence of addiction, depression and stress in our communities is on the rise. Mental Health issues were addressed as part of the last Presidential debate, where both President Trump and Vice-President Biden, discussed how mental health issues and addiction are impacting our communities. According to a 2018 survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), one in five adults in the U.S. live with some kind of mental illness, 60.2% of the population between the age of 12 or older, were substance users of tobacco, alcohol or illicit drugs and 20.3 million people aged 12 or older, have Substance Use Disorders. According to the Cohen Veterans Network (CVN), a national not-for-profit philanthropic organization, and the National Council for Behavioral Health inaugural study “America’s Mental Health 2018,” it was revealed that the “overwhelming majority of Americans (74%) do not believe such services are accessible for everyone, and about half (47%) believe options are limited.”    

IDYA4 is dedicated to keeping our communities healthier and safer through the launch of our Health and Wellness Network, which we believe could play a crucial part in addressing this national Behavioral Health crisis. IDYA4’s Health and Wellness Network will provide an end-to-end solution to the individuals who need help at any hour of the day. This network is developed on IDYA4’s Real Time Intervention Platform (RTIP) allowing the individual to access the platform through their mobile device, desktop or laptop to check their health and wellness on a daily basis via this application developed by Behavioral Health experts. The platform not only provides an ability to connect to the clinician and physicians via this telehealth platform at any hour of the day, it also provides the ability to do so within the privacy of their own home or anywhere in the world. The RTIP is a resource to help an individual, or their entire family, to address issues like Mental Health and Wellness, addiction, depression, stress etc., and to access a support network that can help a family member, or themselves, to take a significant step to overcome behavioral health issues.

IDYA4’s Health and Wellness Network will address the Behavioral Health crisis among First Responders, Public Health Professionals, kids under the age of 18, college students and even professional athletes.

For the First Responders Group, IDYA4 is partnering with the National Center for Prevention of Community Violence (NCPCV) to not only enhance the value of the Health and Wellness solution, but also to bring Officer Wellness Training via a Learning Management System (LMS) accessible via an app that NCPCV and the team, managed by Bobby Kipper, Executive Director who have been successfully delivering trainings to officers over many years, throughout the nation. Bobby said “The partnership will combine the strength of the latest information and training from NCPCV with the Solutions Based Technology and Integration from IDYA4. This joint effort and model will bring a new dimension to the overall health and wellness application for officers in the U.S.”

“We are proud to announce the launch of our Health and Wellness Network and believe in the value of this kind of network, easily accessible to all, to address the needs of the individuals where traditional methods of offering assistance have not worked. Our goal is also to reach the individuals who are not being served and who cannot access an affordable and much needed Behavioral Health Services. We are excited to start the rollout of this network by focusing on our nation’s First Responders Group with support from the U.S. Department of Justice and many key national associations and looking forward to growing this network in other markets,” said Ashwini Jarral, Chief Operations Officer at IDYA4.

If you want to learn more about this Health and Wellness Network please contact us at info[@]idya4.com.

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Emotional ABCs SEL Curriculum

“The ability to have an entire classroom of students access the evidence-based SEL curriculum both from the classroom AND from home gives teachers and families maximum ease of use.” Cynthia Sikes, CCO Emotional ABCs

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)
December 08, 2020

Emotional ABCs, an evidenced-based, K-3 award-winning Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum used by parents and teachers in more than 75 countries and over 60,000 schools in the USA, launches its highly anticipated Premium Schools SEL Curriculum with 30 student sign-ins per classroom.

The Emotional ABCs Premium Schools SEL Curriculum allows teachers and school counselors to add up to 30 students per classroom for in-class and at-home interactive learning. The Premium Schools subscription starts at less than $1 per month, per student, for a single classroom of 30 students. With this new program, students can be given access to individual accounts, simplifying a teacher’s or counselor’s ability to create break-out groups, assign at-home online practice, and more easily promote school-to-home-communication about Social Emotional Learning (SEL).

Additionally, a recently released nationwide study, “Emotional ABCs Accelerates Social and Emotional Learning Among First and Second Grade Students,” shows a statistically significant increase in student participant’s social emotional learning (SEL) competences when Emotional ABCs’ curriculum is integrated into the classroom. The study found that the average student in the Emotional ABCs program increased their SEL scores by 10% more, in one year, than the average student not participating in the Emotional ABCs program.

Cynthia Sikes, CCO of Emotional ABCs, stated, “The ability to have an entire classroom of students access the evidence-based SEL curriculum both from the classroom AND from home gives teachers and families maximum ease of use.”

The Common Sense Education’s “Top Pick for Learning” and the 2020 CODiE Award Winner for “Best PreK/Early Childhood Learning Solutions,” receives high marks for its ease-of-use and its positive impact on students. It focuses on CASEL’s five areas of SEL competency including Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Self-Management, Responsible Decision-Making, and Relationship Building. The evidence-based emotional skills curriculum is designed for children ages 4-11 and gives kids practical tools for dealing with impulse control, frustration, and acting-out.

Emotional ABCs Classroom is designed around a set of 20 Classroom Workshops that use short modules for flexible teacher use. There is no teacher training needed for the easy-to-use, self-explanatory materials that can be easily adapted for remote or hybrid teaching. Workshops include interactive online activities, videos, printables, teacher-student, and student-student interactions and are set up so instructors can manage pacing and performance.

About Emotional ABCs:

Emotional ABCs is America’s #1 Awarded, evidence-based Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program. Our research-developed content was created with a team of educators, psychologists, and therapists using proven best-use practices from the fields of education and mental health. Several formats of Emotional ABCs have been developed to meet different needs, including Parent Subscriptions, a Free-to-Teachers Emotional ABCs Classroom Subscription, and now our Premium Schools Program for school-wide accounts.

Emotional ABCs Awards:

Emotional ABCs is a Common Sense Education “Top Pick for Learning” and the program’s many awards include the prestigious American Business “Stevie” Gold Award and People’s Choice Award, the 2020 CODiE Award for “Best PreK/Early Childhood Learning Solution, and the 2020 Award for Best Digital Tools for Teaching and Learning by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. and PITTSBURGH (PRWEB)
December 07, 2020

axialHealthcare today announced a new recovery program with Highmark Inc. to offer care navigation and peer support services for members seeking treatment for substance use in Pennsylvania. This is a new addition to Highmark’s efforts to address substance use disorders and the opioid epidemic in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This has been an extremely difficult year for individuals and families at all stages of recovery,” said Dr. Caesar DeLeo, vice president and executive medical director of strategic initiatives for Highmark. “COVID-19 has increased social isolation, stress and economic problems, while presenting additional hurdles in staying connected to or accessing treatment. Telemedicine expansion has been a great innovation and now we are adding to that peer support counselors through an expanded partnership with axialHealthcare. Our members can now be guided by individuals with lived experience in the recovery space, have a simplified care navigation experience, and access resources to remove non-clinical barriers to care.”

The recovery program deploys personalized services, using Pennsylvania-based clinicians and peer support from individuals in recovery to help members find and stay in treatment. Providing each member in need with a dedicated team, the program works with treatment providers to help coordinate care during critical transitions, connects members to social resources, and ultimately provides the dedicated, long-term support essential to sustained recovery.

“axialHealthcare is excited to expand our partnership with Highmark to help members and their families navigate a highly complex addiction treatment system,” said Dr. Dirk Wales, chief medical officer at axialHealthcare. “Our goal is to ensure members not only receive quality, coordinated care, but are also connected with any additional resources needed to stay in treatment and achieve recovery. We look forward to partnering with the treatment and recovery community to support safe, effective care for those most in need.”

The recovery program is an expansion of a multiyear partnership focused on ensuring evidence-based care for members in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Since 2018, Highmark and axialHealthcare have tackled patient safety concerns related to substance use, spanning from decreased opioid overprescribing and polydrug use to increased naloxone prescribing and screening for SUD. These efforts have helped mitigate safety concerns, including decreasing the number of patients receiving opioids from multiple providers by 15.0%, reducing risky co-prescribing of benzodiazepines and opioids by 15.1% and increasing naloxone prescribing by 100% in two years.

Highmark strives to combat opioid addiction with a comprehensive approach that focuses on primary prevention, safe prescribing, high-quality treatment, community supports and combating stigma. Through these efforts, Highmark has reduced by 22.7% the number of commercial risk, Medicare Advantage and Affordable Care Act members in Pennsylvania who are prescribed opioids, while reducing opioid-related overdoses to a rate that is approximately half of the national average. Highmark has also provided more than $3 million to community organizations and programs fighting the opioid epidemic in its core markets of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware.

The recovery program is launching this month alongside select treatment providers in Pennsylvania. The program applies to Highmark’s commercial risk, Medicare Advantage and Affordable Care Act members who are being discharged from select inpatient treatment facilities in the commonwealth. For more information, contact axialHealthcare at accessrecoveryPA@axialHealthcare.com.

About axialHealthcare

axialHealthcare connects patients, providers, and health plans with an end-to-end platform that covers the entire substance use spectrum. Leveraging services grounded in analytics, our risk to recovery platform identifies patients at risk, prevents escalation in their condition, and supports appropriate treatment enrollment and adherence. This high-tech, high-touch approach delivers measurable clinical and financial outcomes by effectively managing cost of care while supporting sustained recovery for patients with substance use disorder.

About Highmark Inc.

One of America’s leading health insurance organizations and an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Highmark Inc. (the Health Plan) and its affiliated health plans (collectively, the Health Plans) work passionately to deliver high-quality, accessible, understandable, and affordable experiences, outcomes, and solutions to customers. As the fourth-largest overall Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated organization, Highmark Inc. and its Blue-branded affiliates proudly cover the insurance needs of more than 5.6 million members in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. Its diversified businesses serve group customer and individual needs across the United States through dental insurance and other related businesses. For more information, visit http://www.highmark.com.

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TORONTO (PRWEB)
December 04, 2020

Today Fable Tech Labs Inc. (“Fable”), a leading accessibility testing platform powered by people with disabilities, announced the launch of the Accessible Usability Scale (AUS) and made it freely available to all. ­­­ It is a tool that quantifies and measures the perceived user experiences of assistive technology users, to improve the usability of websites and apps and make them more accessible.

The AUS is based on the System Usability Scale (SUS). SUS was originally developed in 1986 and is a common psychometric tool to assess user experience. However, it doesn’t effectively measure the experiences of assistive technology users, such as people with disabilities who use screen readers or voice navigation.

Developed based on thousands of hours of engaging people with disabilities across more than 25 assistive technology configurations on Fable’s crowdtesting platform, the AUS adapts the original framework to measure usability issues for those who are impacted by accessibility.

Fable CEO Alwar Pillai said: “We made AUS free for everyone – because it can help. Regardless of what industry we are in, we can all agree that the experiences of people with disabilities on the internet can get a lot better. But we won’t get there unless we quantify the quality of those experiences.”

The Accessible Usability Scale consists of a brief survey of 10 alternating statements related to the user experience of an assistive technology user. AUS assigns a scale position for each possible response. The output of AUS is available after completion of the survey.

Samuel Proulx, blind since birth and now Fable’s Community Manager, said that “AUS is a critical step on the path to ensuring that people with disabilities are fully represented in digital product development. AUS enables designers and researchers to have a useful baseline tool to collect feedback from assistive technology users. Thanks to AUS, our voices can be included and considered in ways that were previously lacking.”

To learn more, go to https://makeitfable.com/AUS.

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