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. "