In Case You Haven't Heard…

Can your dentist help you sort out feelings of loneliness, anxiety or depression? Take the situation with Dr. Huong Le, a dentist of more than 30 years who hears stories about her patients' families, stories from their home countries and, often, how lonely they feel, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Feb. 15. Le started depression screening for patients 65 and older in 2017 at Asian Health Services, a dental clinic near Oakland's Chinatown. Then Le took the concept one step further last year by hiring a full‐time mental health counselor and giving her an office at the dental clinic, where she can see patients immediately should they need it. Later this year, the depression screenings and counseling services will expand to patients 12 years and older. The community health clinic, which operates several sites in Alameda County, primarily caters to Asian immigrants, a group that often shuns behavioral health services because of the stigma associated with mental illness. The model is winning praise from experts as an innovative way to make mental health services accessible to hard‐to‐reach populations.