A great step for prioritizing mental health care for paramedics and firefighters who experience traumatic incidents on duty..but why limit to only 5 days of paid leave? Why require a psychiatrist/psychologist to confirm "the need" for leave? #LW854 thehill.com/homenews/state…

Using active listening and empathetic listening is calming and reassuring. It can even be healing, which avoids trying to suggest a “fix” #LW854

“Abolition is about the constructive and preventative responses we can have to harm” Loving this new podcast series also featuring the voices of incarcerated people #LW854 open.spotify.com/episode/6hcPyQ…

“State legislators who support reproductive rights and justice need to take steps to ensure that abortion access is not dependent on ZIP code & financial status & abortion providers are protected.” This opEd highlights interesting statutory changes!#LW854 nytimes.com/2022/03/13/opi…

23 unnecessary years in prison: McIntyre suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and other negative emotional impacts. His mother also has been diagnosed with PTSD and has sought psychological treatment for 17 years. Prison worsens mental health #LW854

Calling home/loved ones is important for mental health of anyone. MA families pay over $14M for this “program.” #PassingSB1559 will end this profiting practice by making calls free. MA could provide free phone calls for every person in prison and jail for only $3.4M #LW854

Are you an abolitionist? Do you wish Boston University School of Public Health included abolition as a public health necessity in its curriculum? We are looking for more BUSPH students to join our group! If you are interested, please scan the QR code. Also, please share amongst your peers and networks 😊

The U.S. Preventative Task Force has recommended that kids age 8-18 be screened regularly for anxiety by PCPs. This is a great step towards integrating universal MH screening into pediatrician/PCP offices and becoming a standard of care! #LW854 npr.org/sections/healt…

Really proud of my home state (MI) for being trailblazers for virtual behavioral health care and tackling too long wait lists. A 24h-crisis services urgent care providing on-demand care, wait times <90mins, with no appts and on weekends! #LW854 freep.com/story/news/hea… via Detroit Free Press

Its #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is Sponsoring Free Bluebikes Adventure Passes Every Sunday in May! Its aims are to support MH and ways to integrate healthy activities into routines #LW854 prn.to/3Ksx5yY

Thank you Governor Gretchen Whitmer for fighting for women and our right to healthcare!

also, students for abolition Boston University School of Public Health is holding a virtual book club this summer! for those interested in abolition, carceral health, and helping marginalized communites, please join us :) we are first reading “Torn Apart” by Dorothy Roberts. register @ bit.ly/abolitionbookc…

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. 9-8-8 is the national dialing code to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, offering 24/7 call, text and chat access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing suicidal, substance use, and/or mental health crisis.

“You cannot refuse a work assignment in prison. I went to the hole twice for refusing jobs, locked in a cell for 23 hours a day. The 13th Amend abolished slavery. #ExceptForMe.” – Robert Saleem Holbrook Watch Saleem’s story & take action to #EndTheException at endtheexception.com/exceptforme.

Percent of people in state prisons who have been diagnosed with a mental disorder: 43% Percent of people in state prisons currently receiving therapy or counseling from a professional: 6%

Incarcerated people earn pennies and haven't gotten a raise in >20 years, but are forced to pay for basic needs at the commissary. Vendors charge above-market prices for many items, as this graphic from KyCIR shows - then kick back some of the money to the prisons.

🧵We've pulled together some of the false claims about crime and incarceration you're most likely to hear at the Thanksgiving dinner table, and the data and facts to help you push back:

California. Colorado. Maine. Minnesota. New Mexico. Vermont. Michigan. With a signature from the Governor, Massachusetts will become the eighth state to pass School Meals for All, allowing K-12 public school students to eat free starting the upcoming 2023-24 school year.