Federal News & Issues

Feb 05, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two studies released today in the journal Psychiatric Services add to the growing evidence of telepsychiatry’s contribution to improved mental health care.  One study examined the use of telepsychiatry in emergency departments nationwide and a second looked at the use of telepsychiatry to improve screening, diagnosis and treatment of pregnancy-related depression.

In the first study, researchers examined data from two nationally representative surveys of emergency departments. In the first, 20% of more than 4,500 respondents reported using telepsychiatry services for patients. In the second more targeted survey, among the 95 emergency departments confirming telepsychiatry use, 59% reported having no other emergency psychiatric services. The authors conclude that telepsychiatry is filling a critical...

Jan 29, 2020

On behalf of a coalition of the nation’s leading organizations dedicated to the care, health, education, well-being, and welfare of children and families, Arent Fox LLP filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of the Plaintiff in Jenny Lisette Flores, et al., v. William Barr, Attorney General of the United States, et al. Nearly thirty organizations steadfastly oppose the Trump Administration’s new regulations that overturn protections guaranteed to immigrant children under the Flores Settlement Agreement (“FSA”).

“We were pleased with the district court’s decision that the new regulations concerning the placement of minors are not consistent with the Flores Agreement and strongly encourage the Ninth Circuit to uphold that decision,” said Arent Fox Partner David L. Dubrow, lead attorney on...