Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Women’s Mental Health: Into the Mainstream - Strategic Development of Mental Health Care for Women (UK) A report (in
Adobe Acrobat format) from the National Institute for Mental Health in England - "The needs of women are central to the government’s programme of reform and investment in public services and to our commitment to addressing discrimination and inequality. Modernising mental health services is one of our core national priorities. There are differences in the family and social context of women’s and men’s lives, the experience and impact of life events, the presentation and character of their mental ill health and consequently their care and treatment needs. These differences must be understood by policy makers and those planning and delivering services. Mental health care must be responsive to these differences..."
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health 2002/2003 Annual Report The CAMH annual report in
Adobe Acrobat format - "After five exciting years, CAMH has an impressive list of achievements. While there is much more to do, we have made great strides in building an organization that is focused on the needs of our clients and stakeholders and on providing programs and services to improve the health of people and communities."
Supportive Housing Training Series HUD's SHP Training Series curriculum is now online - "The Supportive Housing Training Series currently includes eleven curricula providing best practices and guidance on supportive housing development, operation and services. Each curriculum provides a one-day training for enriching the skills of supportive housing developers and providers. The Supportive Housing Training Series has something for anyone who wants to improve his or her skills in supportive housing development, operation and services. These trainings address a wide array of issues—from housing financing and property management to program development and tenant/staff relationships. The series includes trainings that will introduce new staff to the issues they will encounter in supportive housing, as well as trainings aimed at a more experienced audience."
The State of the Nation's Housing A 44 page report (in
Adobe Acrobat format) from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University - "Despite the 2001 recession and weak ensuing recovery, by most measures 2002 was the strongest year for housing on record. Residential investment, home sales, homeownership rates, aggregate home equity, and total mortgage debt all hit new highs last year. Anemic growth has nevertheless taken its toll, sending mortgage delinquency rates up while pushing rents in some areas down. When the economy regains momentum and the lingering effects of the recession subside, housing is well-positioned for another solid decade. Median incomes and wealth for all age groups are higher today than ten years ago. These gains, together with continued strong immigration, should lift household growth and housing investment above 1990s levels. Nevertheless, both low- and moderate-income households will continue to have difficulty finding affordable housing."
Report Criticizes Federal Oversight of State Medicaid New York Times story - "The Bush administration has allowed states to make vast changes in Medicaid but has not held them accountable for the quality of care they provide to poor elderly and disabled people, Congressional investigators said today. The administration often boasts that it has approved record numbers of Medicaid waivers, which exempt states from some federal regulations and give them broad discretion to decide who gets what services. But the investigators, from the General Accounting Office, said the secretary of health and human services, Tommy G. Thompson, had "not fully complied with the statutory and regulatory requirements" to monitor the quality of care under such waivers." [Viewing
New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].
Rowland signs second executive order, budget talks kept short (Connecticut) Stamford Advocate story - "With no budget deal in sight a week into the new fiscal year, Gov. John G. Rowland signed a second executive order Monday to keep the state running. The new seven-day order includes enough money to pay state employees this week, but it puts a hold on payments to hospitals, private mental health and mental retardation agencies, pharmacists and municipalities." See also the
Middletown Press story
State seeks Merritt Hall closure - "The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is moving forward with plans to shut down a 40-bed treatment unit at Merritt Hall on the campus of Connecticut Valley Hospital. Due to the current fiscal crisis, DMHAS officials on Monday confirmed that they are continuing their push to close down the unit, possibly by the end of this year."
Doctors' Toughest Diagnosis: Own Mental Health New York Times story on a recent article in
The Journal of the American Medical Association on how the medical profession "has been slow to accept that depression and other mental disorders are illnesses like any other, at least when they occur in its own members. Many doctors fail to seek treatment for psychiatric conditions out of fear that doing so will damage their careers. And those who do get treatment can suffer very real professional penalties..." [Viewing
New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].
