Monday, August 08, 2005

Congress to Consider Major Medicaid Changes in September, Grassroots Advocacy Campaign Needed During Congressional Recess Action Alert at the NAMI web site - " This week the House and Senate began a month long summer recess, during which members of Congress will be in their states and districts across the country. One of the major issues Congress will confront upon their return to work in September is how to reduce future Medicaid expenditures by $10 billion over the next five years. These reductions to Medicaid will be considered as a part of a massive budget 'reconciliation' measure that Congress is supposed to complete sometime in the fall. This "reconciliation" legislation will include a number of programmatic changes to Medicaid that could have an enormous impact on beneficiaries (both children and adults) living with mental illness. NAMI is very concerned that these reductions to Medicaid do not adversely impact on access to treatment support services for Medicaid beneficiaries living with mental illness."  
  

Texas Health Official Explains Effort To End Mental Illness Stigma  Psychiatric News story - "Deep in the heart of Texas, NAMI members learn about several new initiatives on destigmatization and prevention of mental illness for those living in the state. Government officials in Texas, the state that hosted the 2005 annual conference of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), are setting an example for other states by taking steps to eliminate the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Part of their focus will be on implementing strategies for preventing mental illness in those at risk for these disorders."  
  

Minorities less likely to seek mental health help: local therapists cite reasons, solutions (Arkansas) Northwest Arkansas Times story - "... Donna Van Kirk, a licensed psychologist for the Behavior Therapy & Counseling Clinic in Fayetteville, said minorities are "certainly underrepresented compared to the white population" in terms of how many seek treatment from a mental health professional. The Surgeon General’s report, a supplement on mental health issued in 1999 and drawn from numerous scientific studies, said that once differences in income and background are accounted for, minorities and whites suffer equally from mental disorders but still do not seek treatment in the same percentages. There are a variety of reasons minorities are less likely to get the mental health treatment they need, said Van Kirk, who also serves as secretary for Psychologists of Northwest Arkansas. "  
  

 Sunday, August 07, 2005

Peer Support Manual 192-page booklet in PDF format from CMHA/British Columbia = "Sometimes the simplest concepts are the most profound. The CDP strives to build relationships and treat other people and their opinions with respect. It is our fundamental belief that people can and should be encouraged to speak on their behalf. Our role is to ensure that people have opportunities and support to develop the skills to do so. The CDP has evolved to become a leader and champion in a recovery vision of service with the idea that one of the essential roles of the mental health system is to support individuals to connect with appropriate services within the mental health system as well as build supports in other areas of their lives through personal, social, environmental and spiritual connections. We strive to bring alive the concepts of the Framework for Support, CMHA’s guiding principles. A recovery vision of service is grounded in the idea that people can recover from mental illness when they play an active and empowered role in their journey. ..."  
  

What Can Communities Do? A Community Action Guide to Early Psychosis Intervention Strategies Booklet in PDF format from CMHA/Ontario - "A guide emphasizing the key role that community members can play in the early identification, treatment and recovery of young people with psychosis." The guide notes that "CMHA’s project activities have reflected this community focus by promoting 'ownership' of the issue and the capacity for action by a range of community-based constituencies. The project has:  promoted awareness and provided information to key national stakeholder organizations by preparing articles for publications in journals and newsletters; produced and widely disseminated a range of educational resource materials; developed a strategic planning framework to assist policy makers to move forward effectively; facilitated first-episode family action and mutual support; and raised awareness and improved access to services through working directly with various groups and organizations across Canada."  
  

Hangin' in There: Strategies for job retention by persons with a psychiatric disability (Canada) Booklet in PDF format from CMHA/Ontario - "This publication is an exciting new booklet that outlines strategies on keeping a job by people with a psychiatric disability. The reader will discover how people with a disability are overcoming the challenges faced in keeping a job. In addition, employers weigh in with their viewpoints on hiring people with psychiatric disabilities."  
  

 Tuesday, August 02, 2005

VA psychology conference advocates for new veterans' mental health APA Monitor story - " At the eighth annual Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Psychology Leadership Conference, April 29–30 in Dallas, VA psychologists and top VA and APA officials met to discuss ways to promote improved psychological services for veterans, including those who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Illustrating this year's conference theme, "Strong leadership in uncertain times," top officials including VA Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield and VA Under Secretary for Health Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD--who received word while at the convention that the Senate confirmed him for a four-year term in the position--discussed mental health care's future at the VA..."  
  

Cambodian refugees feel stress decades later Reuters AlertNet story - "A majority of Cambodian refugees settled in the United States suffer from post-traumatic stress, deep depression or alcoholism decades after surviving their country's 1970s genocide, a study said on Tuesday. A survey of Cambodians who are representative of the 175,000 who have taken refuge in the United States found practically all had lingering effects from nearly starving to death and witnessing relatives and friends being murdered. An estimated 3 million died during the 1975-79 reign of the Khmer Rouge and in civil wars before and after. The prevalence of psychiatric illness found among Cambodian refugees is indicative of a larger crisis affecting the world's 42 million refugees, based on other reports published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, which focused on the subject of violence." See also the free JAMA abstract, the summary of articles on "Violence and Human Rights" in the current issue and the abstracts of other articles of note - Cognitive Therapy for the Prevention of Suicide Attempts, Psychiatric and Cognitive Effects of War in Former Yugoslavia: Association of Lack of Redress for Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress Reactions, Predisplacement and Postdisplacement Factors Associated With Mental Health of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: A Meta-analysis, and the free article, Adult Schizophrenia Following Famine.   
  

 Sunday, July 31, 2005

House Passes Association Health Plan Legislation; Proposal Would Weaken State Mental Illness Insurance Parity Laws Alert at the NAMI web site - "On July 26, the House cleared legislation vastly expanding multi-employer Association Health Plans (AHPs) and potentially undermining existing state laws that require health plans to cover treatment for mental illness on the same terms and conditions as all other illnesses – commonly referred to as parity. The vote was 263-165. This proposal (HR 525) would significantly expand the scope of a federal law (known as ERISA), that exempts self-insured employer health plans from state regulation. By expanding ERISA, HR 525 would encourage employers that currently offer health plans for their workers (and their families) to switch away from coverage that meets a parity standard, i.e. plans that cover mental illnesses the same as all other illnesses..."  
  

 Thursday, July 28, 2005

16 National Organizations Cite Crisis in Mental Health System, Release Roadmap for Reform PR Newswire press release - "Today at the U.S. Capitol, the Campaign for Mental Health Reform released "Emergency Response: A Roadmap for Federal Action on America's Mental Health Crisis." The coalition of 16 national organizations proposed 28 action steps as a "roadmap" for Congress and the Administration to transform the country's ailing mental health care system. Speaking at the press conference in support of the Campaign's efforts were Members of Congress from both political parties and both chambers: Senators Mike DeWine (R-OH) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Representatives Sue Myrick (R-NC), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Jim Ramstad (R-MN), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), and Ted Strickland (D-OH)." See also the Campaign for Mental Health Reform press release, the executive summary (also available in PDF format) and the full 32-page report (in PDF format).  
  

 Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Work Experiences of Persons with Mental Illness  Online survey at the NAMI web site - "Your participation in this survey by NAMI Texas and Texas A & M University will help make a difference in how employers respond to the needs of employees with mental illness."  
  

 Monday, July 25, 2005

Unprecedented Federal Alignment Announced to Help Provide People with Mental Illness Opportunity for Recovery SAMHSA press release - " The federal government is aligning resources in an unprecedented collaborative effort to help ensure that people with mental illness have every opportunity for recovery. Six cabinet level departments – Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration have detailed 70 specific steps in a mental health action agenda released today. 'Transforming Mental Health Care in America. The Federal Action Agenda: First Steps' is the beginning of a multi-year effort to alter the form and function of the mental health system. Also announced today is the creation of a Federal Executive Steering Committee to guide the work of mental health system transformation." See also the full report.