The program began in March and will run through the fall of 2022.

Members who elected to participate were invited to download the Pyx App on their smart phones or tablets, which immediately connects to Pyx-ir, an interactive robot. Pyx-ir will regularly converse, ask wellness questions and connect Members to IEHP services and call centers, depending on need.

The program’s services rolled out to English and Spanish speaking Members who receive both Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits (Cal MediConnect Members), as well as Medi-Cal Members who are seniors with a disability or have been identified as unable to leave their homes and are at a greater risk for loneliness.

“Isolation and stay-at-home orders have tremendously impacted these populations in the last two years,” said Anna Edwards, IEHP’s Care Management Clinical Director. “Our partnership with Pyx Health will extend care beyond the health plan’s usual business hours and truly meet the Members where they are.”

For continuity of care, Pyx Health will provide the health plan with comprehensive reports based on Member screenings to connect Members with additional resources at the plan level. If needed, Members will also have the option to connect with Pyx Health’s Compassionate Call Center representatives who will be able to route information and reports to IEHP’s Care Management Team.

“In addition to usual health plan services, we believe our partnership with Pyx Health will provide Members a unique aspect of personalized care,” said Dr. Takashi Wada, IEHP’s Chief Medical Officer. “We’re eager to learn how this pilot program and type of service can engage Members in their own health and how it will positively impact their overall wellness.”

About IEHP

With a mission to heal and inspire the human spirit, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans and the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. In its 25th year, IEHP is supporting nearly 1.5 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medicaid or Cal MediConnect Plans and has a growing network of over 7,500 providers and nearly 2,500 Team Members. Through dynamic partnerships with Providers and Community Organizations, paired with award-winning service and a tradition of quality care, IEHP is fully committed to their vision: We will not rest until our communities enjoy optimal care and vibrant health. For more information, visit iehp.org.

Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) | Contributed

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Hopes for a big infrastructure investment are teetering. An ambitious elections and voting bill is all but dead. Legislation on police brutality, gun control and immigration has stalled out.

After six months of Democratic control in Washington, the party’s progressive wing is growing increasingly restless as campaign promises go undone — blocked not only by Republican obstruction, but also by Democrats’ own inability to unite fully around priorities.

The time ahead is pivotal for President Joe Biden and his allies in Congress to seize what some view as a transformative moment to rebuild the economy and reshape the country.

“There’s a lot of anxiety,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Ca., who had been a co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid. “It’s a question really for President Biden: What kind of president does he want to be?”

The summer work period is traditionally among the busiest for Congress, but especially sharpened this year as Democrats strain to deliver on Biden’s agenda. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer warned colleagues that June will “test our resolve” as senators returned Monday with infrastructure talks dragging and the limits of bipartisanship in the 50-50 Senate increasingly clear.

The party suffered a debilitating blow over the weekend when Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced his opposition to the voting bill, titled S.1 because it is a top party priority. Many Democrats view it as crucial to protecting democracy and a direct response to restrictive new voting laws being passed in Republican-led states egged on by Donald Trump, the former president.

“Do I feel discouraged? Yes,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, warning of a failure of deliver on the promises. “We will lose voters for a generation.”

Schumer, in setting the agenda, is challenging senators to prepare to make tough choices. But he is also facing a test of his own ability to lead the big-tent party through a volatile period of shifting priorities and tactics in the aftermath of the Trump era and the Capitol insurrection.

While Democratic senators have been generating goodwill by considering bipartisan bills in the evenly split Senate, they face mounting pressure from voters who put them in office to fight harder for legislation that Republicans are determined to block with the filibuster. Democrats hold the edge in the Senate because Vice President Kamala Harris can break a voting tie.

Fed up by the delays, some senators are ready to change the rules to eliminate the filibuster, which they blame for the inaction. The long-running Senate filibuster rules require 60 votes to advance most legislation, meaning as many as 10 Republicans would need to cross party lines to help Democrats achieve their priorities. Some senators propose reducing the voting threshold to 51.

But Manchin, in announcing his opposition to the voting rights bill Sunday as the “wrong piece of legislation to bring our country together,” also restated his refusal to end the filibuster — for now, denying his party a crucial vote needed to make the rules change that could help advance its agenda.

On Tuesday, leading civil rights figures including Rev. Al Sharpton and Marc Morial are scheduled to meet with Manchin in Washington. Biden urged them to visit the senator to discuss the voting bill and the legislative agenda. He encouraged them to keep the conversation constructive and not put pressure the senator — at least not yet, according to a person familiar with the discussion but not authorized to speak about private conversations.

While Manchin has talked about supporting another voting bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, advocates of S.1 say both pieces of legislation are needed. Biden agrees Congress should move forward with both, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.

At the same time, Democratic groups supporting S.1 vowed to continue with a $30 million campaign pressing Democratic senators to rewrite filibuster rules and pass the bill — including with TV ads in Manchin’s West Virginia.

But it’s not just Manchin who opposes changing the filibuster laws. Without support from him or other filibuster defenders, like Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Democratic senators will be forced to confront the limits of their fragile majority. If Democrats decided to go it alone on the big infrastructure bill, as talks with Republican senators stall, they would need to be unified because they would have no votes to spare.

Failing to deliver on campaign promises that are popular with voters could exacerbate party divisions and expose Democrats to criticism from their own ranks as well as from Republicans eager to show that Biden’s party cannot govern.

“We need to move the ball,” said Yvette Simpson, CEO of Democracy for America, a liberal advocacy organization.

“We told everyone to come out against all odds in the pandemic and vote,” she said about the 2020 election. The promise was that with Democrats in power, ”we’re going to have all these great things happen, their lives are going to be better. And what they’re finding is that it looks like Washington as usual.”

Schumer has been laying the groundwork for this moment since he became majority leader in January, trying to build the case that bipartisanship can work in some cases — with passage of an Asian hate crimes bill or a water public works package. But he also recognizes that it has limits, according to two Democratic aides granted anonymity to discuss the private strategy.

The Democrats’ weekly closed-door policy caucus lunches have been intense, particularly during the two special sessions they have held to privately debate the path forward on the voting rights bill, one of the aides said.

Rather than force reluctant senators to fall in line, Schumer is trying to lead Democrats to their own conclusion — either bipartisan deals with Republicans are possible or they have no choice but to go it alone on infrastructure or other priorities, the aides said.

One aide suggested Schumer is no arm-twisting leader in the style of Lyndon Johnson, who before he became president was famous for his hardball cajoling as majority leader.

Khanna said the president, however, can have a big role. “This would be his LBJ moment — can he pick up the phone and work his magic to get his Democrats on board?”

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Psychoanalysis, often stereotyped in arts and literature as patients reclining on couches and talking about their mothers, is enjoying renewed scientific support. Studies have found that psychoanalytic therapies are evidence-based and lead to significant improvements in mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.

According to recent research, psychoanalytic therapies achieve lasting results by exploring underlying causes of one’s mental health issues. This deeper exploration gets to the root of a person’s symptoms and sets psychoanalysis apart from more superficial therapies that only treat symptoms. By looking closely at each person’s life, psychoanalytic therapies help one feel more understood as a unique individual, improve personal relationships, relieve painful emotional symptoms, and change life-long ways of coping.

This is not your father’s psychoanalysis. In fact, in a 2019 survey conducted by PsychoanalysisNow, 400 psychoanalysts in the United States highlighted the realities of psychoanalysis and how it works. Almost all the professionals surveyed (96 percent) said they regularly conduct therapy either once or twice per week, which is feasible for most patients’ schedules. The stereotype of lying on a couch during therapy is an option – but only if the patient chooses it for relaxation and comfort. Otherwise, patients and their analysts are seated facing each other in chairs. Roughly, 73 percent of analysts surveyed report that they also conduct therapy sessions remotely, via telephone or through Internet video connections.

“Psychoanalysis is often indicated when other less intensive therapies have failed to achieve the desired results,” according to the website of the American Psychoanalytic Association.

“It truly offers something different and more comprehensive, and is a good place to turn when symptoms remain or behavioral or relationship patterns continue after one or two attempts at less intensive, shorter term psychotherapy.”

However, one’s problem need not be too severe to benefit from psychoanalysis. Individuals struggling in the workplace, who have long-term relationship issues with family members, or who simply want a new perspective on their lives can benefit. Through psychoanalysis, one can unlock the past, inform the present, and expand the future to reach their full potential.

Children and teens can also benefit as some psychoanalysts specialize in working with children in partnership with parents.

For more information and to find a psychoanalyst near you, visit apsa.org.

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Everybody who struggles with Mental Health is different; some people need to be pulled out of the cave they have been allowed to hide in, other people will crawl further into the darkness the more you try to yank them through. There is no ONE answer to helping someone who is going through; anxiety, depression, anger, self-sabotage, suicidal thoughts, or PTSD. As Christians, all we can do is pray for our loved ones and be there for them when they are ready to talk. (Mental Health)

I myself deal with Mental Health Issues, some that came from a traumatic accident I was involved in on my construction job site last year and others have developed over time through what I have allowed people to convince me about myself. How should a Christian go through life when they feel like they have no control over their mental capacity? It can be hard to convince yourself to get out of bed when you feel like you have nothing going for you or everyone in the world is trying to bring you down. Here is a list of things I have found helpful;

1- Set Micro-Goals: Micro Goals are key to a clear state of mind, if you are trying to lose 200 pounds, it’s extremely hard to convince yourself to start climbing that mountain, you know you are going to go through some excruciating pain to get there however, if you set Micro Goals like; lose a pound a week, or don’t go for seconds of the biscuits at dinner, instead get an extra serving of veggies or meat. You will start to take pride in those achievements and will find it easier to overcome larger obstacles.

2- It’s Okay To Not Be Okay: You have to remember that there isn’t a person alive who has it all figured out, everybody falls short of God’s Glory, In fact in the history of mankind there has only been one who was ever without fault and it’s because of him we can enter heavens gates. What is not okay is accepting your sickness. Never should you have that attitude, “It’s just a part of me.” God may be allowing you to go through a trial, but it’s not his will for you to stay there. You have to come out of it sometime so you can testify to His Love. You have to make that decision that you don’t want to live with these problems not just accept them as a part of you.

3- Lockdown Your Support System: Not everybody needs to know what you are going through, especially if they aren’t going to bring something to the table to help you. We all know those people that want to know what’s wrong with you so that they can feel better about themselves or tell everybody that you have issues. Those people aren’t going to help you get better; you need people who will let you; cry on their shoulders, give you honest advice not just tell you what you want to hear, be available to you whenever you need to talk, and stand in the agreement of your healing. Your mental battles aren’t for the world to know, but know that walking into a battle with no army is hard. Get a support system and people who will hold you accountable.

4- Step Outside Of Your Comfort Zone: You don’t have to dive into the pool, baby steps are okay, but you can’t become a hermit crab and hide in your shell for the rest of your life. Sometimes all we need is; a little bit of sunshine, exercise, and fellowship to feel better. Events are going on all over the city if you don’t like the crowds set up a game night with a few people you trust. The old saying goes, “Laughter is the best medicine.” still reigns true. When you are in the middle of; smiling, laughing, and enjoying people’s company you quickly forget everything that is going on in your mind.

5- Get Involved: There are churches all around the community who offer something for everybody. From youth to senior citizens, but find the one that makes you feel comfortable and welcome. Then get involved in their events, groups, and ministries. When you feel part of a community and feel accountable for something, you can convince yourself to keep fighting the fight for them. The Bible says, “Iron Sharpens Iron.” You need to be around a community of people who will speak life into you, not push you further into darkness.

Mental Health is a severe issue in our nation, and it’s turning into a generational curse. Not everyone understands how serious it is to some people, but to go from your happiest mood to suicidal thoughts like the flip of a light switch is a serious thing. It’s up to us to pray for our loved ones to be delivered from such a curse and break the chain where it is now.

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