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Welcome to The Census, your biweekly roundup of what matters in behavioral health care.

On tap today:

• Update on the Youth Mental Health Corps

• Why more seniors are dabbling in the giggle twig

• All your latest news headlines in under two minutes

Let’s dive in.

- Shân

P.S. Yesterday, PitchBook published a spotlight report on AI in Mental Health, and it’s worth a peruse.

What we’re watching this week 

🫡 Progress, concerns, and future outlook of the YMHC

Last May, we covered the launch of the Youth Mental Health Corps, a program that trains hundreds of young adults to help their peers access mental health care.

Here’s your update one year in.

First, a smidge of background: The Youth Mental Health Corps places young AmeriCorps members (ages 18–29) in schools and addiction recovery settings to support youth mental health.

• It’s funded by a mix of private and public dollars (~$10M so far)

• The hope, beyond immediate support, is to create a new talent pipeline to address shortages of mental health workers

Minnesota was one of the first states to launch the program. So far, they’ve supported ~1.2k middle and high school students and helped ~200 young adults navigate addiction recovery.

• Corps members build trust by being ‘near-peers’ who aren’t tied to academic or disciplinary systems

• Students showed improved attendance, grades, and well-being after engaging with corps members

But there are concerns. 

Corps members receive just 8 hours of mental health first aid training to serve as ‘trusted, non-clinical adult figures.’

Critics worry some corps members may be underprepared, especially if they’ve had personal mental health or substance abuse struggles. Many experts are calling for more rigorous training and oversight. 

And, well, there is indeed a fine line between supportive mentorship and unqualified intervention.

Then there are those DOGE cuts, which would directly affect AmeriCorps and threaten the Youth Mental Health Corp’s future.

So while advocates remain hopeful, bolstered by private funding from groups like the Schultz Family Foundation and Pinterest, many eyes are on government funding moves and stricter future training requirements.

🌿 Marijuana use among seniors hits an all-time high

Use among Americans 65 and older surged nearly 46% from 2021 to 2023, according to new research in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Interesting points from the study:

• Rising adoption among seniors is driven by both loosening state marijuana laws and growing social acceptance of weed use for conditions like chronic pain and stress

• While senior men use weed most regularly, increase in use rates were more pronounced among women

• The most prominent increase was among older adults with annual incomes over $75k, who went from having the lowest use among income categories in 2021 to the highest in 2023

The data did not differentiate between recreational and medicinal use — but chronic health conditions, including hypertension and diabetes, made seniors more likely to report using weed.

Let’s get to your news headlines. 

Catch up quick

This week’s top stories

Latest news

🍄 Mushroom therapy startups in Colorado are gearing up to launch, but despite low entry barriers, tight regulations are making it a tough market to crack.

🧑‍⚖️ A top panel wants NY judges to play a bigger role early on in mental health treatment for justice-involved people, starting with a two-year pilot.

🌿 The number of people receiving treatment for cannabis use disorder has been dropping, even as the need remains high.

🏠 Nest Health and MiraSol Health are closing care gaps by bringing integrated physical and behavioral health services directly into patients’ homes.

😔 A mother is suing Centene for her son’s death, saying mental health provider ghost networks are to blame. 

👀 A ‘well-known’ drug-policy lawyer is allegedly joining the Department of Health and Human Services to work on psychedelics policy.

🤦 More than half of all the top trending videos offering mental health advice on TikTok contain misinformation, a Guardian investigation has found.

🤳 Related: A new lawsuit claims TikTok harms teens’ mental health, putting a legal spotlight on how social platforms may fuel youth behavioral health concerns.

💸 HHS flagged over $16B in waste and fraud across federal health programs, highlighting ongoing scrutiny of MA and opioid-related settlements (like McKinsey’s $650M payout).

🕵️ Sohar Health launched a new tool to help behavioral health providers instantly verify if a patient’s provider is in-network.

😟 The GOP megabill would not only cut taxes and change Medicaid but also roll back ACA coverage, threatening access to care for millions.

📉 Over 40% of SUD professionals believe provider-payer relationships will worsen over the coming 12 months, according to a new survey. 

💊 Talkspace partnered with Amazon Pharmacy, marking a first in behavioral health by letting providers send prescriptions directly through the retail giant.

👏 Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed into law a bipartisan measure to expand services and funding opportunities for Florida students with autism.

♥️ San Francisco is changing its approach to addressing drug addiction with a new emphasis on long-term remission and drug-free living.

🪖 A new sober house for military veterans with PTSD opened in southern Minnesota.

💡 Behavioral health providers are eager to transition into value-based contracts, but this urgency can sometimes be a hindrance instead of a help.

🤑 Eli Lilly snapped up SiteOne in a ~$1B deal; the startup produces Journovax, the first FDA-approved non-opioid pain killer in more than two decades.

🤖 Wait, what? The MAHA Commission report may have garbled scientific references and invented studies using AI.

We’re hosting an exclusive, 50-seat summit for Chief Marketing Officers in mental and behavioral health.

Join the waitlist here.

Studies & opinion pieces

🌿 Healthy people who regularly smoked weed or consumed THC-laced edibles showed signs of early heart disease similar to tobacco smokers (study).

🍔 In children with ASD, food selectivity is more closely tied to sensory sensitivities rather than IQ, behavior, or autism severity (study).

💡 What’s shaping autism therapy reimbursement in 2025 (opinion). 

🤱 American mothers are facing more widespread mental health struggles, painting a worrying picture about maternal wellbeing (study). 

🧠 DBT is a cost-effective way to help autistic adults struggling with suicidal thoughts and fills a critical care gap (study).

That’s it for this week! See you next time,

- Shân

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