CareTrust Moves into Behavioral Health

behavioral health

Plus: A webinar on the “Sweetgrass Method,” and a course on cognitive behavioral therapy

By Ellie Jensen

New & Next: Industry

CareTrust: Part of a Growing Trend

CareTrust REIT Inc., a real estate investment trust in possession of 227 senior-care facilities, plans to convert some of its properties into behavioral health centers. CareTrust is in talks with Landmark Recovery, an addiction treatment company, to operate a portion of these facilities. CareTrust is one of many companies of its kind to move into the behavioral health field in recent years, joining organizations such as Ventas Inc., Medical Properties Trust and Sabra Health Care REIT in developing new facilities across the country.

Honoring a Leader in the Black Community

Peter Hayden, PhD, founder of Turning Point, Inc., received the National Association of Treatment Providers’ (NAATP) inaugural Diversity, Inclusivity, and Racial Equity Award last year. This month, the NAATP announced that the award will bear his name henceforth. Turning Point, founded in 1976, has offered substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and other support to the Black community, focusing on culturally specific treatment options to combat a lack of access to quality care. Nominations for the 2022 Dr. Peter Hayden Diversity, Inclusivity, and Racial Equity Award are open now, with the award being presented at the NAATP national conference in May.

New & Next: Webinars

Blending Indigenous Practices with Conventional Treatments

NAADAC will host a webinar on ways to intertwine American Indian/Alaskan Native treatments for SUD with standard Western practices to better support Indigenous clients. Called the “Sweetgrass Method,” the approach incorporates Indigenous healing practices and accounts for historical and generational trauma that Indigenous clients may be struggling with. The webinar takes place on March 9 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. EST, and registration is now open.

Protecting Youth from SUD

“Youth Drug Trends: Local Implications and Solutions” will examine current drug use trends among young people, and will offer strategies for community-based preventions plans. The webinar, hosted by the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, is scheduled for March 9 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST. Click here for more information and to register.

New & Next: Education

An Overview of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Psychiatry Academy is partnering with NAATP to offer an online course about cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Running from March 7 to April 11, “The Fundamentals of CBT” will explain how CBT skills can be used in clinical treatment practices to help clients alter their behavior and avoid relapse. This self-paced course will provide an overview of basic CBT practices. Further information is available here.

Offsetting the Impact of Stress

Health experts from the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine will lead an online course on how stress negatively impacts physical and emotional health and how it can be mitigated through interventions and lifestyle changes. The course runs from March 7 to April 18 and offers strategies for building resiliency in clients, with a wide variety of learning resources. More information on “Building Resiliency through Cognitive Reappraisal and Lifestyle Modification” can be found here.

Photo: Randy Tarampi