A Christmas Shift, a Quiet Hallway, and a Full Heart Christmas Day at 6:45 a.m., a nurse I used to work with texted me from the parking lot of her hospital. Snow on the windshield. Coffee in hand. A knot in her stomach. Her family was already gathering at home, but she was heading in for a 12-hour shift. She wrote, “I love my work. I really do. But today feels heavier than usual.” That one message captures the reality for many healthcare professionals during the holidays. You show up for...

Policy, Practice, and the Front Line Why We Paused and Why We’re Back We took a couple of weeks off from Vantage Policy Watch  to close out 2025 with intention. Budgets were finalized, contracts were renegotiated, staffing plans were stabilized, and leadership teams were making last-mile decisions that will shape 2026. That pause was strategic. But silence is no longer an option. It has been one heck of a month. In the span of a few weeks, executive actions, regulatory posture, and...

By Jamelia Hand MHS CADC CODP I Digital literacy is no longer a “nice-to-have.” Youth and adults are already using AI, apps, online communities, trackers, and digital tools between sessions. Pretending otherwise is how we lose visibility, miss risk, and miss opportunities for engagement. Here’s how to operationalize digital literacy directly into the clinical workflow. Start Every Intake With a Digital Use Screen Make it as standard as asking about substances, sleep, or social support....