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Magellan of PA website: www.MagellanofPA.com Lehigh County Magellan Member Handbook Lehigh County Magellan Member Handbook (español) New videos help members, families access services:
Magellan has produced two videos for members and their families to help them become informed and active participants in their own healthcare plans and decisions. Hosted by peers who share their lived experiences with behavioral health services, each video answers common questions, addresses the apprehension some individuals may feel when seeking or receiving these services, and helps them understand what to expect.
The videos provide key information, as well as tips and resources, in an easy-to-understand format. Below are the topics and links to the videos:
· Getting help for mental health challenges
· Taking psychiatric medication: It’s your choice
Resources available for Suicide Prevention Month, Recovery Month in September
Magellan Health is supporting Suicide Prevention Month, which is observed nationally each September and aims to draw attention to the devastating effects of suicide and how to prevent it.
Barry M. Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Magellan Health, Inc., and Sam K. Srivastava, chief executive officer of Magellan Healthcare, have issued a statement about the observance. September is also National Recovery Month, created to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use issues and celebrate the people who recover.
As another way to show our support for both of these observances, Magellan has developed information sheets with details about how to prevent and cope with suicide, as well as details about mental health and alcohol and drug dependency. We encourage you to share these guides with individuals, their families and anyone else who may benefit.
Suicide Prevention Month:
How to cope and heal after a suicide
When a friend or family member commits suicide
Recovery Month:
Mental health: A key part of wellness
Alcohol and drug dependency
eMpowered for Wellness! Peer Support Whole Heart and Wellness e-news
Videos tell compelling stories of peers making a difference A message from Tom Lane, CRPS, senior director, consumer and recovery services
In this special edition of eMpowered for Wellness, we feature Magellan Healthcare's new videos highlighting the role of peer and parent/family peer support in the behavioral health recovery process. Six Magellan staff members who represent a range of peer and family support services in the organization highlight their unique experience and success with helping others. I am honored to have participated in this exciting project.
At Magellan, we employ highly skilled individuals with lived experience both directly and indirectly, through our provider networks across the country, and actively include peers and family peers as part of the recovery process. Their work is unique and powerful.
'As the first company to recognize the critical role of peer support in the recovery process 17 years ago, Magellan considers peer/family peer support to be an invaluable service to our members.' - Tom Lane, CRPS, senior director, consumer and recovery services
See the videos
Participants discuss how they offer support, strength and hope to their peers, which allows for personal growth, wellness promotion and recovery. View the following videos on our E-Learning Center.
Greg Dicharry, CPRP, Magellan Healthcare youth empowerment director
Awarded the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) Media Award for the contributions to the education of the public about mental illness and substance abuse research and the positive impact of research on treatment
Dr. Steven Pratt, MD, Magellan Healthcare senior medical director Contributed to a VeryWell Health article, "Exposure to air pollution may increase your risk of depression"
Magellan's Dr. Caroline Carney and Dr. Steven Pratt make behavioral health headlines
Dr. Caroline Carney, MD, MSc, FAPM, CPHQ, Magellan Health chief medical officer, is featured with NeuroFlow in a Going Digital: Behavioral Health Tech blog post, "How NeuroFlow and Magellan Health are Coming Together to Help with Suicide Prevention." Learn more in the blog post. Dr. Carney joins the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) National Advisory Council. Learn more in the AHRQ press release. Dr. Steven Pratt, MD, Magellan Healthcare senior medical director, is featured in an Idaho News 6 story, "'It’s just tough when you feel overwhelmed': Healthcare workers feeling the burden of COVID-19." Watch the video interview.
Beating the holiday blues
The holidays can be a joyous time—a time to spend with family and friends, reflect and be thankful. Yet, for many people the holiday season can bring on the blues, including feelings of anxiety, stress, worry and sadness. It’s important that we don’t ignore these feelings. Visit here to read our Magellan Health Insights blog post, “Beating the holiday blues,” for six tips to help you deal with the holiday blues in a proactive and healthy manner.
Promoting Community Inclusion Through Peer Navigation: A Demonstration Study, American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation (2021). Dunn, B.A., Lane, T., Brusilovskiy, E., & Salzer, M.S.
Effective Peer Employment Within Multidisciplinary Organizations: Model for Best Practice, Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research (2021). Byrne, L., Roennfeldt, H., Wolf, J. et al.
Perceptions of Supervisors of Peer Support Workers (PSW) in Behavioral Health: Results from a National Survey, Community Mental Health Journal (2021). Foglesong, D., Spagnolo, A.B., Cronise, R. et al.
Magellan Healthcare is your resource for suicide prevention information and tools
Visit MagellanHealthcare.com/Prevent-Suicide for downloads, events and more.
Magellan Healthcare and Invo HealthCare announce value-based care collaboration focused on improved autism outcomes
According to the CDC, 1 in 54 [1] children is diagnosed with ASD, with some states reporting 1 in 32 [2] children receiving a diagnosis. Magellan Healthcare recently announced the launch of a pilot in collaboration with Invo HealthCare to define standards of care for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) undergoing applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatment.
The collaboration between Magellan and Invo is an innovative value-based care model intended to define standards for ABA treatment and measure progress against them. The model will help providers deliver better care, resulting in improved outcomes for children with ASD and those who care for them.
Visit here to read the press release.
Learn more about the link between Heart Health and Mental Health, including for women aged 65 years and older and working moms, and how healthcare professionals can take care of their own mental health during a pandemic while caring for others. Dr. Caroline Carney, MD, MSc, FAPM, CPHQ, Magellan Health and Magellan Rx chief medical officer, shares her knowledge and tips in the following three-part Pharmacy Times interview here.
Part 1 interview: Negative mental health outlook can lead to heart disease, causing concern during pandemic
Part 2 interview: Healthcare worker trauma stress from COVID-19 can cause poor health outcomes overall
Part 3 interview: Call your mom: Study links positive mental health, heart health in older women
Pilot leads to reduced aggressive behaviors in children and less stress in the family
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Magellan Healthcare collaborated with Neuromotion, Inc., the developer of Mightier, an in-home digital platform that empowers children to learn lifelong emotional skills through play, to make Mightier available to certain Magellan members with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a pilot program.
Read the press release on the results and the white paper on this landmark study to understand how digital tools can help children with ASD here.
Listen to Dr. Caroline Carney, Chief Medical Officer of Magellan Health and MRx and Scientific Advisory Board Member of Psych Hub, talk about how mental health impacts all facets of our healthcare system in a podcast with Marjorie Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of Psych Hub, and Patrick J. Kennedy, Co-founder of Psych Hub, here.
Foundations of a Comprehensive Community Healthcare System serving youth
Magellan's System of Care approach addresses the unique needs of each individual and embraces young people and their families as central to decision-making. We also focus on the development of collaborative structures through cross-system agreement with other child-serving systems, such as child welfare, juvenile justice and education, incorporating trauma-informed care. In the second section of Magellan's updated clinical monograph, understanding and meeting the needs of children and adolescents at high risk: foundations of a model, learn more about the following evidence-based research that underpins our model of care for serving children, youth and their families:
We developed this monograph as a resource for providers, youth, families, policymakers and other advocates, and community stakeholders.
3 ways to give youth access to Behavioral Health Resources
The pressures of the pandemic have taken a tough toll on mental health, with more youth and young adults seeking emergency care for mental health issues and suicidal ideation. as we enter year two of Covid‐19, a multifaceted approach is needed to ease the mental health impact of the pandemic on children, teens and young adults.
How can Health Professionals better enable youth to get needed behavioral health resources before they require emergency care? Read the Mental Health Weekly article, reducing the rise in adolescent suicide during Covid‐19, here. in the article, Dr. Caroline Carney, MD, MSC, FAMP, CPHQ, Chief Medical Officer, Magellan Health and Magellan Rx Management, shares three approaches:
Magellan and mightier recently completed a pilot study of a groundbreaking video game that teaches emotional regulation to children with autism. Read the Parentology article, new study using video games to improve children’s mental health, in which Yagnesh Vadgama, BCBA, Magellan Health VP of Clinical Care Services Autism, shares feedback from parents about the pilot study. Magellan and mightier believe that digital tools for children can:
To learn more about our pilot project and recent collaboration with mightier to improve the lives of children with autism and other conditions, click here.
A Focus on Child and Adolescent Development
Social, community and clinical programs designed to be developmentally informed have historically been considered the optimal standard to serve the population of young people with mental, emotional and behavioral (meb) disorders. In the first section of Magellan's updated clinical monograph, understanding and meeting the needs of children and adolescents at high risk: foundations of a model, we highlight the impact of various factors on brain development that can lead to meb disorders in young people. topics include:
We developed this monograph to emphasize the evidence-based research that underpins our model of care for serving children, youth and their families, and to serve as a resource for providers, youth, families, policymakers and other advocates, and community stakeholders.
Magellan Healthcare and Mightier use Nimh Grant to research the impact of video games on childhood behavior disorders
Magellan Healthcare is collaborating with Mightier on a landmark study to understand how digital tools can help children with adhd, anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder and other mental health disorders. Magellan and Mightier recently concluded a pilot study on a groundbreaking video game that teaches emotional regulation to children with autism, which proved to reduce symptoms in children and improve family dynamics. here’s what parents and board certified behavior analysts (bcba) are saying:
Visit our COVID-19 response website
Visits MagellanHealthcare.com/COVID-19 for videos, articles, links to virtual recovery meetings and more.
We have a new video called Telehealth: Get care and treatment wherever you are, which explains:
How to schedule a telehealth visit
What to do once a telehealth visit is scheduled
How to get the most from telehealth
Watch the video here.
A focus on COVID-19 during May Mental Health Awareness Month
Find information at the following links and on our dedicated COVID-19 response page for support:
Blog post: "Stamp Out Stigma During May: Mental Health Awareness Month" here
The loss of normalcy: Coping with grief and uncertainty during COVID-19
Magellan launches Stay Home for MY LIFE virtual youth events
Magellan Healthcare is offering its Magellan Youth Leaders Inspiring Future Empowerment (MY LIFE) program virtually for youth ages 13-23 who have experience with Mental Health, substance use, juvenile justice and foster-care-related issues. In response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Magellan Healthcare has transitioned its MY LIFE program to facilitate virtual participation by interested youth across the country no matter where they are located. Held every Thursday from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Eastern until stay at home orders are lifted, the weekly events feature nationally recognized inspirational speakers, uplifting entertainment, fun activities and information on a variety of topics important to youth. Youth and young adults interested in Stay Home for MY LIFE can find more information and register at facebook.com/MYLIFEyouth. Since 2008, Magellan’s MY LIFE program has been leading the way nationally for youth in behavioral health and foster care systems, allowing them to share their stories and support each other in their goals. Through regular meetings, special events, performances, social media, and local and national presentations, youth create positive change for themselves and others in their communities. Find more information about the MY LIFE program here.
A new website with free downloadable information and resources to support BIPOC Mental Health – find it here
It's Time To Take Action for Youth Mental Health A message from Jim Leonard, CEO, Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania, Inc.
As we approach two years of dealing with COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of our youth has become a significant issue that requires everyone's attention. This is an unprecedented moment in which our society can no longer afford to be indifferent or silent. Across the country, emergency departments are seeing an increasing number of children in emergency departments (EDs) for mental health-related care. Read more
Provider performance standards are available on our website - Providers are encouraged to refer to these documents and utilize the Standards. Read more
5th annual Recovery in the Valley celebrated in Cambria County - Recovery in the Valley on Sept 26 included featured speakers, resource tables, public information, family entertainment and more. Read more
Coming soon: Our upgraded website! - The upgraded website is anticipated for January, 2022 with a key feature being the ability to translate each webpage from English to Spanish. Read more
Community resources including food pantries, utility support and more - Our website offers local, state and national helpful resources. Read more
Housing instablity and homelessness require our attention - Housing instability and homelessness are known to negatively affect an individual's health. Read more
"Best Practices for IBHS" webinar series led by John Siegler, PsyD - Since July, three webinars have focused on sharing key lessons learned through the IBHS implementation with the provider community. Read more
Magellan's PA team volunteer at food and social services organizations - In October, the Magellan PA team volunteered at five local organizations to address the food insecurity issues that continue to increase. Read more
Important updates for providers - Provider Focus is updated frequently to include important local updates and information critical to your day-to-day operations. You will find other updates on our website under "For Providers."
Opioid Use Disorder and Substance Use Disorder During Covid-19 A message from Jim Leonard, CEO, Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania, Inc.
As we move into the 2nd year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have come to understand for several months that it is not just the virus that has created traumatic and lasting damage for our families, friends and communities. We are also unfortunately seeing an increase number of members confronted with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) due to the effects of the shutdown and the impact of social isolation on mental health. Read more