Experts say hospitals must plan for providing care after an attack

Cybersecurity and patient safety

Experts offer advice for hospitals on protecting systems and patients

Tips and tough love

Criminals know smaller systems are vulnerable to cyberattacks

Targeting small hospitals

President Joe Biden’s administration is moving forward with his goal of establishing a new agency aimed at developing breakthroughs in medical research.

This week, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra established the new agency, the Advanced Research Project Agency for Health (ARPA-H), as an independent entity within the National Institutes of Health.

Becerra also announced the appointment of Adam H. Russell as acting deputy director for the new agency. Russell is the chief scientist at the University of Maryland's Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security and has held key roles in federal science agencies. He’ll begin serving in the post in June.

The Biden administration has touted ARPA-H as taking a different focus from other federal research efforts. The White House has said the agency would focus on high-risk, high-reward research to find cures for diseases such as cancer.

Health and science advocacy groups have cheered the development of the new research agency, but they warn the NIH can't be deprived of critical funds for its core mission.

Congress authorized the creation of ARPA-H in the 

 approved in March. The 2022 budget package included $1 billion for the new research agency, which is less than the $6.5 billion Biden initially requested.

Biden will appoint a director to oversee ARPA-H, the health and human services department said. The ARPA-H director will report directly to the secretary of health and human services, and not to the director of the NIH.

In his new role, Russell is charged with helping to establish the agency’s structure and to begin hiring staff to get ARPA-H running as quickly as possible.

"We are ecstatic that Dr. Adam Russell has accepted the challenge to help launch ARPA-H, President Biden's bold, new endeavor to support ambitious and potentially transformational health research in this country," Becerra said in a 

. "ARPA-H will have a singular purpose: to drive breakthroughs in health, including the prevention, detection and treatment of diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes.”

The new agency is modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which led to breakthroughs in computing, the Internet, GPS and stealth technology. Russell spent several years as a project manager at DARPA.

While most health and science advocates have welcomed the creation of the new research agency, some health advocates have said they don’t want to see it financed at the expense of the National Institutes of Health, the chief federal source of funds for medical research.

Health and science advocacy organizations 

criticized Biden’s proposed 2023 budget

 because nearly all of the planned spending increase for the NIH would be directed to the new agency. Biden has proposed an additional $5 billion for ARPA-H. Excluding the money for the new agency, the NIH would receive an increase of less than 1%.

The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, which represents 371 organizations, universities and advocacy groups, signed 

 May 17 calling for robust funding for the NIH.

“The Ad Hoc Group strongly urges lawmakers to ensure that any funding for the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) supplement our $49 billion recommendation for NIH’s base budget, rather than supplant the essential foundational investment in the NIH,” the letter stated.

In the 2023 budget, Biden proposes $49 billion for the NIH, a $4 billion increase over current spending. However, after the funding is directed for ARPA-H, the NIH increase amounts to less than $300 million.

Groups such as Research!America and the Association of American Medical Colleges said they support the new agency, but urged Biden to offer a substantial increase for the NIH.

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has also voiced concerns about the prospect of the NIH failing to get the support it needs. The group said in April it “is concerned the current proposed budget for core NIH functions will leave basic scientific research behind, which is critical for discovery and innovation.”

Many are excited by the development of ARPA-H and the Biden’s administration’s moves in establishing the research agency.

 on Twitter, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., called the Biden’s administration’s first steps to establish ARPA-H “a huge moment in our effort to create this new advanced research agency that will be tasked with curing some of the most difficult diseases – such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s & more!”

“Modeled after DARPA, this new agency will be asked to make the impossible, possible,” she said.

DeGette and U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., have sponsored the “Cures 2.0” bill to help finance medical research, and to support ARPA-H in finding novel breakthroughs.

Upton praised the steps in setting up the new agency. “ARPA-H will focus on game changing health research and can move faster than the current bureaucracy allows,” Upton said on 

. “Now we need Congress to pass authorizing language to ensure the agency is stood up right.”

If ARPA-H is going to fulfill its promise, some groups, such as the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, said the new research agency needs to operate outside of the NIH.

 to lawmakers last year, the society wrote, “ARPA-H must have a significant amount of autonomy and independence from the NIH. This does not mean that ARPA-H cannot not work closely with the NIH; the two organizations will collaborate closely and pull from each other’s expertise and research efforts. But there must be a clear distinction between ARPA-H's research priorities and the NIH’s efforts funding basic biomedical research.”

Since the new agency’s director will report directly to the health and human services secretary, ARPA-H could get the independence that some advocates are seeking.

The president has been a vocal supporter of investing in medical research. Biden led the “cancer moonshot” effort when he served as vice president under President Barack Obama. Biden’s son, Beau, died of cancer at the age of 46.

, Biden touted the promise of the new research agency and urged lawmakers to support it, saying, “Let’s end cancer as we know it.”

Articles

The new Advanced Research Project Agency for Health will be an independent entity within the National Institutes of Health. Advocates welcome the agency but don’t want its funding to come at the expense of the NIH.

Biden administration begins setting up new health research agency

Hospitals improved in some aspects of caring for pediatric patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are still areas where health systems are lagging, according to a new report from the Leapfrog Group.

Reports from watchdog organizations like the Leapfrog Group have pointed to declines in patient safety in the pandemic, as hospitals and health systems have faced waves of patients and staffing shortages.

Two recent reports from the Leapfrog Group, which examined inpatient care at hospitals and outpatient surgical centers, found troubling signs of patient safety slipping. 

 have voiced concerns over the erosion of patient safety and urged health system leaders to make a greater commitment to protect patients and their workers.

Patients give ambulatory surgical centers higher marks than hospital outpatient departments

, released Thursday, focused on pediatric care. In some areas, patients reported more satisfaction with hospitals during the pandemic than before the arrival of the coronavirus.

But even in some areas where hospitals didn’t fall back, providers can do better in ensuring the safety of children, the group said.

Parents gave the least favorable responses when it came to questions on preventing mistakes and helping parents or caregivers report concerns. Parents were asked if providers told them how to report concerns or mistakes, and they were also asked if staff checked to confirm the child’s identity before giving medicine.

In this area, 62% of parents and guardians gave favorable responses mid-pandemic, roughly the same as the pre-pandemic period (61.4%). The Leapfrog Group report flagged this result as “a major problem for patient safety.”

Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said this is an area where hospitals need to do better.

“Parents or caregivers must feel comfortable raising concerns about mistakes in their children’s care at hospitals or their children are not safe,” Binder said in a statement accompanying the report. “These results raise questions about safety, which every facility that serves children should immediately address.”

The report also notes that this has been a consistent area of concern. Before the pandemic, parents gave the least favorable response on questions about reporting concerns and if hospitals were checking the identification of pediatric patients before administering medication.

“This raises serious concerns about patient safety, as giving the wrong medication can result in serious harm or even death,” the report stated.

The Leapfrog Group report also said hospitals need to view parents and guardians as “an essential part of the caregiver team.”

“A parent by their child’s bedside throughout a hospital stay may be better equipped than a medical provider to notice when something is wrong,” the report stated. “Feeling prepared to speak up immediately when they observe problems is a critical patient safety indicator, improving the odds of preventing or reducing harm from errors.”

Parents and caregivers gave the most favorable responses on the topic of communicating about a child’s medication. Four in five parents (80%) gave favorable responses in this topic mid-pandemic, about the same as before the pandemic (80.6%).

Doctors earned higher marks in their communication with pediatric patients during the pandemic. In this area, 76.1% of parents and caregivers gave favorable responses mid-pandemic, an uptick compared to 2019 (74%). The report noted the improvement of doctors in this area and said it’s an important step in keeping patients safe.

“Clear and understandable communication between doctors and patients can be reassuring to both parents and patients and can help prevent errors like medication mix-ups or misdiagnoses,” the report stated.

Likewise, nurses fared better in their communication skills with pediatric patients mid-pandemic. More than three-quarters (78.2%) of parents or caregivers gave favorable marks on how well nurses talked with their children mid-pandemic, up from 76.8% before the pandemic.

Hospitals generally held steady on questions about how well parents and guardians were kept informed about the care of their children. During the pandemic, 76.3% of parents gave favorable marks here, essentially the same as in 2019 (76.1%).

The Leapfrog Group called on more hospitals to share the data on surveys of parents.

Hospitals collect responses from guardians through a questionnaire known as the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Child Hospital Survey. Public reporting of the results of child patients isn’t required, but hospitals can choose to share results with organizations like The Leapfrog Group.

“The sample size for information on pediatric care remains relatively small and more transparency through reporting is needed to capture the fullest picture of the experience of pediatric patients,” the report stated.

The analysis included information from hospitals that treat pediatric patients and submitted survey results to the Leapfrog Group in 2019 and 2021. 

It doesn’t include results from surveys from 2020, the first year of the pandemic, because the Leapfrog Group gave hospitals the option of re-using survey results from the previous year.

A new report from the watchdog organization details progress in some areas, but said hospitals are falling short in enabling parents to report problems. 

Leapfrog Group report finds areas where pediatric care must improve

Following the killing of 19 children and two teachers in a Texas elementary school this week, healthcare organizations are demanding lawmakers to take action to curb gun violence.

The mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which also left 17 others injured, came less than two weeks after a white supremacist killed 10 Black people in a supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y.

Healthcare leaders aren’t just calling for healing. They’re calling for specific action to reduce the chances of more mass shootings.

Gerald Harmon, president of the American Medical Association, said in a 

 Wednesday the Texas and New York mass shootings share the common thread of “​​too-easy access to firearms, inaction on wildly popular, common-sense safety measures like background checks, and countless lives lost or changed forever.”

Harmon cited the numerous policy proposals the AMA has pushed over the past 20 years, including background checks for all purchases, restrictions of assault weapons, and waiting periods before purchases. The AMA deemed firearm violence a public health crisis in 2016.

“Firearm injuries and deaths are preventable. And while the ideal time to act and find common-sense solutions and common ground might have been years ago, the best we can do now is act today,” Harmon said.

“We call on lawmakers, leaders and advocates to say enough is enough,” he said. “No more Americans should die of firearm violence. No more people should lose loved ones.”

More than 45,000 Americans die of gun violence each year. In 2020, firearms surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of death among American children and teenagers for the first time in decades, according to an 

.  Gun deaths remained the leading cause of death among young people in 2021, 

The National Alliance on Mental Illness said the Texas school shooting affects the mental health of all Americans. But the organization also pushed back against some narratives that point to mental illness as the prime reason behind the Texas tragedy and other mass shootings.

“Mental illness is not the problem,” NAMI said in a 

 Wednesday. “It is incorrect and harmful to link mental illness and gun violence, which is often the case following a mass shooting.”

“Pointing to mental illness doesn’t get us closer as a nation to solving the problem and doing so leads to discrimination and stigma against those with mental illness — who are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators. People across the globe live with mental illness, but only in the U.S. do we have an epidemic of senseless and tragic mass shootings,” NAMI said.

The Association of American Medical Colleges issued a 

 Wednesday calling for Congress to enact solutions such as ​​”background checks, investments in hospital-based and other community violence interventions, and other tools that so many Americans support.”

“These assaults once again vividly illustrate the all-too-familiar consequences of how gun violence continues to plague the nation,” the AAMC said. “They are also a reminder of how homicides, suicides, and unintentional injuries with firearms take an overwhelming daily toll on our communities. These preventable tragedies will continue to be inevitable as long as lawmakers continue to choose inaction over reasonable protections to keep our children and our communities safe.”

Gillian Schmitz, president of the American College of Physicians, works in San Antonio, Texas, about 80 miles from Uvalde, and she and her husband are raising two school-age daughters. “This one hit a little more personally,” she said in a 

“These mass shootings inflict unimaginable horror on our communities, friends, families and loved ones,” she said. “In the decade since Sandy Hook and only days since Buffalo, emergency physicians have once again absorbed the grief felt in communities nationwide.”

“We offer support to all emergency physicians, who bear witness to this epidemic as we treat victims of firearms-related violence,” Schmitz added. “We will continue our work to reduce gun violence through research, innovation and evidence-based practice.”

Moira Szilagyi, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, noted her organization has called for the federal government to invest in more research on gun violence prevention, along with other measures to reduce gun violence.

“There are things that we can do, but it will require a unified approach,” Szilagyi said in a 

“Despite past inaction, we must not assume there is no hope for change. We should not grow accustomed to these acts of gun violence,” she said. “We owe it to the children in that classroom in Uvalde and the many others who will go into their classrooms tomorrow to speak up for them, to not rest until we see real, meaningful, policy change. Until their lives are protected.”

Given the partisan divide in Congress, most political analysts see little chance of legislative remedies on gun control legislation or other measures that have wide public support.

As the AAMC noted in its statement, “Gun violence is not political. It is a public health crisis that must be addressed. How much more can our nation endure?”

The American Medical Association and other health groups aren’t just calling for healing. They are urging lawmakers to take concrete steps to protect Americans from gun violence.

After Texas mass shooting, healthcare leaders demand action

Nurses struggling with depression or loneliness showed a greater risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health examined data from nearly 55,000 female nurses, including more than 3,600 who tested positive for COVID-19, between April 2020 and April 2021.

, showed those who had reported long-term depression before the pandemic were 72% more likely to be hospitalized after contracting COVID-19.

Nurses who said they had feelings of loneliness were 81% more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who did not report similar feelings. Nurses who had likely indicators of depression were 81% more likely to require hospital care after being infected. 

In addition, nurses who reported they were very worried about COVID-19 had a 79% increase in risk for hospitalization.

Depression, loneliness and worry about COVID-19 were as closely associated with a higher risk of hospitalization as some well-known physiological risk factors, including high cholesterol and hypertension, the researchers found.

Harvard researchers were surprised to see such a close association between depression and loneliness and patients requiring hospital care for COVID-19, said Siwen Wang, the lead author of the study.

“I think the most important takeaway is how mental health is underrecognized and how it is strongly predictive of your future health,” said Wang, a research fellow at Harvard’s School of Public Health.

The National Institutes of Health financed the study. Valerie Maholmes, chief of the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development’s Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch, said the study sheds light on the importance of considering the tie between psychological distress and greater health challenges for those with COVID-19.

“It really underscores the importance of looking at not only physical health conditions but looking at the psychological factors that may contribute to poor outcomes and health challenges,” Maholmes said. (While the NIHCD funded the research, Maholmes did not participate in the study itself.)

Andrea Roberts, a senior research scientist at Harvard’s School of Public Health and the leader of the study, said there hasn’t been a great deal of attention paid to psychological factors and their ties to physical illness. The study suggests treating depression could reduce risks of hospitalization for COVID-19, and possibly other illnesses.

“A lot more could be done in this area,” said Roberts.

Nurses, and healthcare workers in general, have struggled mightily since COVID-19 arrived in early 2020. 

 have indicated they could walk away from their practice within two years, according to a study published by 

. More than 1 in 5 doctors in that same survey said they may leave their practice.

Federal officials have grown increasingly concerned with burnout and the mental health of healthcare workers. Earlier this week, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory urging health systems to take better care of their staff so the healthcare shortage doesn’t get even worse.

Surgeon General issues advisory on burnout: 9 takeaways for health systems

While the research focused on nurses, Maholmes pointed to the large number of participants, making it a very robust study. She also said the greater risk of hospitalization among those who had not been diagnosed with clinical depression was noteworthy. Health records don’t always indicate signs of depression.

“Sometimes if there’s no clinical diagnosis of depression, there are other signals,” Maholmes said. “There may be some symptomatology or some aspects of loneliness, of sadness.”

“In terms of screening, we need to ask more pointed questions,” she added. Patients could be asked if they feel lonely, for example, to determine if they are struggling with some psychological distress.

Given the findings involving so many nurses, healthcare leaders should take some lessons from the study, Maholmes said.

Hospital and health system leaders should look at the intensity of the work environment and the hours that nurses are working. 

Nurses have pushed themselves to the brink,

 and beyond, working long hours as health systems have grappled with staffing shortages.

“Healthcare leaders need to check in with their staff regularly to determine to what extent the environment is triggering these feelings of loneliness and depression,” Maholmes said.

Should hospital nurses work 12-hour shifts?

Healthcare organizations should utilize peer support groups so nurses and other clinicians can talk openly about their feelings.

Health system leaders also need to send clear messages to their nurses and other healthcare workers that they can seek help when they need it, such as getting a break or accessing mental health services. A recent survey of nurses found many said their mental health was suffering, but 

a majority aren’t turning to mental health services

“We need to step away from these kinds of high-intensity experiences to really assess where we are, to take care of ourselves, to release the trauma,” Maholmes said.

“We can’t do the job as front-line workers without attending to our needs.”

Health systems should consider organizational policies to encourage frontline workers who have experienced a great deal of death and trauma to seek a support group or counselors on staff, Maholmes said. “Sometimes you have to put into policy to manage people’s behavior first,” she said.

The researchers of the study hope their work underscores the need for those who are dealing with depression or loneliness to reach out for help.

“We want to increase public awareness of the importance of mental health,” Wang said.

Roberts also said she hopes more research is done on how improving mental health can lead to better physical health.

At the very least, she hopes it leads to more healthcare workers seeking help if they need it.

“If we can find ways people can talk about their health and well-being, that’s helpful for everyone,” Roberts said.

Harvard researchers examined data from thousands of nurses. Those with depression or loneliness were significantly more likely to end up in the hospital.

Nurses with depression more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19: Study

A new coalition has been formed to use digital health to promote health equity.

The Digital Health for Equitable Health Alliance says it plans to improve access to healthcare through digital health, telehealth, wearable devices, artificial intelligence and machine learning. The coalition set out its agenda in a news release Tuesday.

Health advocates have pushed telehealth and digital health advances as key elements in ensuring those in underserved populations have access to healthcare.

Using telehealth to improve equity and access

Members of the group include historically black colleges, patient and health advocacy groups and pharmaceutical companies.

Tanisha Hill is the president of the alliance and the U.S. senior medical director, respiratory and digital health medical lead at Teva Pharmaceuticals. In a news release announcing the effort, Hill called the coalition “a change catalyst that transforms health for Americans in every corner of our nation.”

“We can do that by collaborating across different sectors and systems, and by leveraging resources to amplify impact and mobilize resources for underserved communities," Hill said.

"Equity isn't just a buzzword, it's a critical movement that will save lives and ensure that, regardless of income, ethnicity or gender, all Americans can access digital technologies that can remove barriers to healthcare management and critical health services,” Hill said.

The coalition’s membership includes the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network; Howard University College of Medicine; the African American Wellness Project; the Black Women's Health Imperative; the Allergy and Asthma Network; Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science; Meharry Medical College; Otsuka Pharmaceutical; Patientory Foundation; Health Aims for Little Ones (HALO) and for Families; and Teva Pharmaceuticals.

While many health leaders herald the promise of digital health in expanding access, some have also pointed to some disparities in access.

 pointed out Black, Latino and Asian patients have utilized video telehealth services less regularly than white patients. A separate 

 produced by Teva found roughly one in three doctors (36%) said most of their patients lacked the computer or wi-fi to easily access telehealth.

On a more encouraging note, Medicare beneficiaries in all income groups, including some in the most disadvantaged communities, gained access to treatment through telemedicine, according to a 

Michael Crawford, associate dean for strategy, outreach and innovation at Howard University College of Medicine, serves as vice president of the coalition. He noted the horrific impact of COVID-19 but also noted it has spurred innovation in healthcare.

Crawford said the pandemic “amplified the need for equitable approaches and technologies to address longstanding health challenges impacting vulnerable communities. That is why DHEH's work is so vital.”

Healthcare advocacy groups are pressing Congress for reforms to ensure continued access to telehealth. 

The COVID-19 public health emergency includes waivers allowing broader use of telemedicine, and 

 will allow those waivers to continue for five months after the expiration of the emergency declaration. Advocacy groups are pushing for a permanent remedy, arguing telehealth offers chances to aid underserved communities in urban and rural areas.

AMA, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Joint Commission team up on health equity effort

Health systems say equity is a goal. Many are not budgeting for it.

The Digital Health for Equitable Health Alliance includes historically black colleges, pharmaceutical companies and advocates for patient care.


New coalition aims to use digital health to improve equity

Kevin Dedner wants to eliminate the barriers that patients of color face in accessing mental health services.

Dedner is the founder and CEO of Hurdle, a digital mental health startup. Dedner created the company in 2018 with a goal of providing culturally intentional care.

Many patients from minority groups, particularly Black patients, stop therapy because their clinicians don’t acknowledge the impact of race in their life experiences. Hurdle said the inspiration for creating the company stemmed from his own battle with depression and his difficulty in finding the right therapist.

“The mental healthcare system as we know it was not designed for everyone,” Dedner told 

Hurdle connects patients to therapists using techniques developed by Norma L. Day-Vines, Hurdle’s clinical research lead and associate dean for diversity and faculty development at Johns Hopkins University’s school of education.

Patients with Hurdle are staying with therapists more often than the national average, Dedner said.

“We think this is quite significant … because 50% of ethnic minorities terminate therapy prematurely because of that lack of provider fit,” Dedner said.

 about mental health, the challenges for Black Americans, and what healthcare leaders should be doing to help employees from minority groups.

Project IMPACT aims for better healthcare for patients of color

 on vicarious racism and its impact on Black mental health.

Many Black Americans experience a profound health impact from racial acts of violence aimed at others, such as the killing of 10 Black people in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, earlier this month.

“One of the things we are finding is that impact with direct racism and vicarious racism can be equally problematic,” Day-Vines said. “‘It can be equally draining. It can be equally sort of stressful, creating a psychological distress that contributes to a lot of other problematic kinds of concerns for people.”

Some participants in Hurdle’s report described vicarious racism as having a toll on mental health and even suffering physical discomfort. “In many ways it was like people were reliving some of those experiences,” Day-Vines said. “There’s a physiological reaction often to what people encounter as they engage with vicarious racism.”

The massacre in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo elicits many of the same fears and anxieties as the killing of George Floyd did among Black Americans. Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer almost exactly two years ago, on May 25, 2020.

“There is something that has been happening in the daily life and daily experience of what it means to Black in America that takes a toll on you,” Dedner said.

The day after the Buffalo shooting, Dedner recalled following his normal routine of going to the grocery store in northwest Washington, D.C., a predominantly Black neighborhood. “I wondered about the other folks who were in the grocery store with me,” Dedner said. “Like, who else was there?”

Norma Day-Vines, clinical research lead at Hurdle and associate dean at Johns Hopkins University

Therapists need to acknowledge these fears among Black patients. Too often, clinicians aren’t comfortable talking about those experiences.

“People don’t come to counseling because they’re Black,” Day-Vines said. “They don't come to counseling because they’re gay. They don’t come to counseling because they’re poor. All of those dimensions may shape how they experience life.”

If a client talks about their experiences and the clinician pivots away, she said, “People do not feel heard or understood. They feel like their concerns are invalidated.”

There are health consequences for not talking about issues of race, ethnicity and culture, Day-Vines said.

“The opportunity for clients to come in and have space within which to talk about these issues is really important,” she said. “Once you begin to talk about what is going on, you have a cathartic moment. Following the cathartic moment, you can begin to think, ‘How am I going to manage this?’”

The lack of diversity in mental health contributes to the barriers for Black patients and other patients of color.

Nationwide, only 2% of psychiatrists are Black, according to data from the American Psychiatrist Association.

“We have really, in the country, failed at creating a diverse mental healthcare system,” Dedner said.

“We have really, really serious workforce issues that it will, candidly, take generations for us to fix.”

Health advocates have urged Congress and President Biden’s administration to invest more in expanding and diversifying the nation’s mental health workforce. Many don’t pursue mental health careers because of the heavy student loan debt.

Congress pressed to invest more in mental health

Dedner called on the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to place a greater focus on the mental health needs of Black Americans.

“We need the NIH and CDC to take a broader understanding about black folks' mental health and how these issues are impacting people,” Dedner said.

Events such as the mass shooting in Buffalo “really do impact people’s mental health,” Dedner said.

“It shows up in ways that we’re just now beginning to articulate our understanding of it,” he said. “And we don’t know enough. So our government really needs to double down and try to understand more so we can support people through these challenges that they experience in their daily lives.”

Dedner said the discussion about race in mental health is an essential conversation that needs to happen more broadly. “I’m exhausted having this conversation,” he said. “I’m exhausted trying to bring attention to this issue.”

Why diversity must be a ‘culture change strategy’

Healthcare leaders must be mindful of the issues weighing on their Black patients, and their Black employees, Dedner said.

For hospital and healthcare leaders who want to help their Black employees, Dedner outlined three steps to consider.

First, health leaders must create space for conversation about race and stress. After the Buffalo shooting, Dedner asked members of Hurdle how they were coping. “The pain and fear and anxiety among the black mothers literally brought me to tears, and I needed to go off camera,” he said. “We have to create space for people to acknowledge how they feel.”

Secondly, health leaders have to make sure employees know they have access to services and assess how often workers are taking advantage of employee assistance programs. “It’s not enough to say, ‘We have an EAP,’” Dedner said. “We should be thinking about utilization rates.”

Finally, Dedner said leaders should examine the internal look of their organization. “Do a gut check around your culture,” he said.

“Are there systems and processes that you have put in place that sort of reinforce these biases and stigmas or even perpetuate stigmas associated with people of color in your company? We can all do that,” he said.

Dedner views Hurdle’s model of cultural humility and cultural responsiveness as filling a critical need at such a crucial time. Since the killing of George Floyd, more honest conversations about race are happening, Dedner said.

“I’m glad that we’re having the conversation,” he said. “But it also points to the need to make sure that our mental healthcare system is prepared to support people of color.”

The digital health company offers culturally intentional care. Kevin Dedner, founder and CEO, says it’s needed because the mental healthcare system wasn’t designed for everyone.