Friday, October 04, 2002
New Survey Shows Americans Support Parity Even if They Have to Pay For It NMHA press release - "A whopping 83 percent of Americans believe it’s unfair for health insurance companies to limit mental health benefits and require people to pay much more out-of-pocket for mental health care than for any other medical care. And an overwhelming majority of Americans (79 percent) support parity legislation even if it results in an increase in their health insurance premiums..." See also the
abstract and executive summary of the survey (
Adobe Acrobat). The NMHA site also includes a summary of the case for
mental health parity, a copy of
a letter signed by 243 organizations that support the legislation and an extensive set links to related resources. Advocacy on behalf of this legislation seems especially pressing given the
Washington Post article
earlier this week indicating that the bill may "fall by the wayside" during this Congressional session.
Mental Health Patients Lost In Budget Gap Stateline.org feature - "Across the country, mental health advocates are watching states scale back on services for those suffering from mental illnesses, eroding the quality of care in what many advocates and officials believe is an already under-funded area of state government."
Detox faces sobering budget cuts (Massachusetts) Story in the
Daily News Tribune - "A Framingham detoxification program could be in danger of closing if acting Gov. Jane Swift slashes $8 million in funding for drug treatment from the state's budget, advocates warned yesterday. Swift is getting ready to make $200 million in emergency budget cuts next week, and treatment program advocates fear that money for detoxification services is high on her list of potential cuts. Elizabeth Funk, president and CEO of Natick-based Mental Health and Substance Abuse Corporations of Massachusetts, said Swift is weighing an 18 percent cut to a $51.4 million detoxification program run by the Division of Medical Assistance."
State warns cash-strapped mental health overseer (Tennessee) Story at
The Tennesean - "The company responsible for managing mental health services for 970,000 TennCare enrollees does not have enough cash on hand to meet the state's requirements, a state agency warned in a letter it sent to the company last month. Premier Behavioral Health System must increase its net worth by $4.6 million or face penalties imposed by the state, Lisa Jordan, the acting assistant commissioner of the Department of Commerce and Insurance, wrote on Sept. 4."
University of Pittsburgh to Lead First-Ever Government-Funded Genetic Study Of Anorexia Nervosa PR Newswire press release - "Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have been chosen to lead the first-ever government-funded genetic study of anorexia nervosa. The National Institute of Mental Health-funded study is a five-year grant, with more than $10 million in funding, which brings together 11 groups of researchers from North America and Europe (10 clinical centers and one to analyze data) to find regions of the human genome that contain genes that influence risk for anorexia. To find these regions, the researchers will recruit families with two or more members, mainly siblings, who have or had anorexia nervosa, and analyze the DNA from the participants."
October 10 is National Depression Screening Day PR Newswire story - "To help those who have been affected by the shocking and disturbing events of the past year, free mental health screenings will be held at nearly 2000 sites across the country ... on National Depression Screening Day, October 10, 2002. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear an educational presentation on mood and anxiety disorders, complete a written self-assessment and talk one-on-one with a mental health professional. Those who appear to need further evaluation will be given referrals to local treatment services." More information and a directory of screening sites is available at the
Screening for Mental Health web site.
State fails review of handling of wards (Nebraska) AP story at
The Independent - "The state of Nebraska failed to meet federal guidelines for how it deals with children who are wards of the state, according a federal review released Wednesday." Among the areas of concern was the fact that the state was "inconsistent in efforts to meet the mental and physical health needs of children."
