Tuesday, July 15, 2003

Psychiatrists for children in short supply
Cleveland Plain Dealer story reprinted at the NAMI web site - "A severe national shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists has heightened urgency to plug a gaping hole in mental health care for kids in Greater Cleveland. The crisis has put in motion plans to use public money to attract the specialists to the area and to spur pediatricians to take a bigger role in treating mental illness."  
  

SAMHSA Takes First Step Toward Reshaping Addiction Block Grant
Feature story at Join Together - "For years, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has been talking about pushing states to be more accountable for how they spend federal block-grant funds. In late December, absent much fanfare, SAMHSA finally unveiled its proposal for transforming the addiction and mental-health block grants into more demanding -- yet more flexible -- Performance Partnership grants." See also the page indexing related resources at SAMHSA.  
  

N.C. court upholds lower court in funding case
Raleigh News Observer story - "A lower court ruling that said the state arbitrarily withheld Medicaid payments from a regional mental health and substance abuse agency was upheld Tuesday by the state Court of Appeals. The decision came after the state Department of Health and Human Services appealed the lower court ruling in favor of the Albemarle Mental HealthCenter Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services."  
  

County convention aims to aid those with substance, mental health problems (Ohio)
Mourning Journal News story - "There are many people in local communities battling addictions or mental illness feeling they are alone in their fight. But the fight doesn’t have to be lonesome with the help available from a group at the Columbiana County Counseling Center. The program, Double Trouble, was the first program in the state. It was started in 1994 at the Columbiana Counseling Center. The group is run by consumers and is considered a self-help group for those recovering from substance abuse and mental health problems."