Behavioral health is a major public health issue in the District of Columbia. Sadly, many of the legislative and regulatory initiatives around behavioral health are tied to other public health concerns, such as opioid addiction, maternal mortality, and health equity.

In partnership with the Washington Psychiatric Society, AMA, and American Psychiatric Association (APA), MSDC works to ensure that patients receive appropriate support for behavioral health issues, that the practice of psychiatry is supported in the District, and that psychiatrists are available to patients in the District.

MSDC was a proud supporter of the Behavioral Health Parity Act of 2017, which enshrined into law that all health plans offered by an insurance carrier meet federal requirements of the Wellstone/Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

MSDC Statements and Testimony of Behavioral Health Issues

25th Council period information coming soon

DC Health Releases 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment

Feb 20, 2020, 08:06 AM by MSDC staff

The DC Health report is a snapshot of the District's overall health through various metrics.

DC Health released its 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) last week which showed that the District is meeting some, but not all, of its public health goals.

The purpose of the CHNA, according to the department, is to comprehensively analyze the overall health status and quality of life for District residents. The assessment "serves as a resource that catalogs the District's existing assets, healthcare services and facilities, public health infrastructure, community partnerships mobilized to address priority needs, promising practices and policies, population health data, and funding opportunities.

Read the executive summary here, the description of the District's population as a whole here, and health outcomes data here.

Some of the top line data that will be of interest to District physicians include:

DC Health considers its Substance Use target as "met", with a 13.6% increase in the proportion of persons with co-occurring SUD and mental disorders receiving treatment for both disorders (target = 12.4%)
Areas with health indicators getting "worse" include mental health and mental disorders, injury and violence prevention, clinical preventative services (focused on patient control of diabetes), and LGBTQ health
Maternal mortality statistics show little or no change towards meeting 2020 goals
The District's overall population has increased by 14% since 2010 and has the third youngest population in the U.S. (median age = 34)
The difference in lief expectancy between a Ward 3 resident and a Ward 8 resident is 16.5 years (86 v. 70.5 years)

Sample of Legislation MSDC is Tracking in Behavioral Health

(see the whole list of bills here)

Suicide Prevention Continuing Education Amendment Act of 2019 (B23-543)

What does it do? The bill requires licensed health providers to complete 2 hours of CME on suicide prevention, assessment, and screening.

MSDC position: MSDC opposes the bill as written as the language does not encourage physician wellbeing or sufficient awareness of suicide prevention.

Current status: The bill had a hearing with the Committee on Health on June 10.