Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Leavitt Announces New Advisory Commission To Study Medicaid Reforms Item in the
Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report - "HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Friday formally established the Medicaid study commission, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 5/21). The commission, called for in the fiscal year 2006 budget resolution approved by Congress last month, will recommend ways to cut $10 billion from Medicaid over five years and propose longer-term solutions to slow the program's rising costs. Leavitt will appoint the commission's 15 voting members. ... The Medicaid commission 'bears little resemblance to the panel some lawmakers asked Leavitt to create,' CQ HealthBeat reports. Some legislators had requested that bipartisan congressional leaders appoint commission members and that the Institute of Medicine administer the panel. ..."
Clinical Trials At Issue Hartford Courant story - "The editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine accused three of the largest drug companies of 'making a mockery' of efforts to create transparency in clinical trials and said their actions could lead some important medical publications to avoid publishing their studies. Dr. Jeffrey M. Drazen, the editor, said that Pfizer Inc., GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Merck & Co. are not providing enough useful information on clinical trials they register with the government. Last September, the members of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors said they would not publish any studies that are not registered in a public database as they are launched."
Migrant mental health an obstacle (California) Monterey Herald story - "Life in the United States holds a golden promise for migrant farmworkers. It also holds a frightening loss of the comforting culture they have known, and a greater risk of mental problems. On Monday, a group of service providers gathered in Salinas to talk about how to more effectively help such people cope with the stresses their new lives thrust on them. Sponsored by the Monterey County Health Department Behavioral Health Division, the University of California and the California Policy Research Center, the workshop brought together social workers, migrant education aides and other service providers to talk about Latino mental health. The forum also provided the opportunity for people to build their connections with professionals in other related fields, enhancing their ability to serve clients..."
Children's mental health services are failing Ontario's children and families (Canada) Ontario Public Service Employees Union press release - "Twelve years of funding cuts have created major gaps in services for some of our most vulnerable children, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) said in a report released today, highlighting the problems plaguing children's mental health services. The report, entitled
Kids Matter, reflecting the experiences of frontline workers and the families they serve, has been endorsed by Children's Mental Health Ontario. An estimated 558,000 or 18 percent of Ontario children under age 19 have a diagnosable mental health disorder. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. Children in distress are waiting up to a year for mental health treatment." See also the
full report at the
OPSEU web site
Regional director updates commissioners on mental health reform (North Carolina) Bladen Journal story - "The mental health reform program that is now in progress is 'complicated and will take a while to get completely implemented,' according to Southeastern Regional Mental Health Area Director Sharen Prevatte. Prevatte briefed the Bladen County Commissioners at their third Monday meeting on the reform measures and how they are impacting management of services. The mental health reform program the state embarked on several years ago is scheduled to take until 2007 to get fully implemented, and according to Prevatte, it will take some adjustment by local governments and clients to adjust to the new provisions for delivery of service."
Bill aims to create national health insurance market Cincinnati Business Journal story - "House Speaker Dennis Hastert endorsed legislation to allow individuals to buy health insurance from any state, regardless of where they live. The legislation would lower the cost of health insurance by allowing individuals to get around their state's coverage mandates and pick a less-comprehensive plan, says Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., the bill's sponsor. These mandates add thousands of dollars to the cost of health insurance in some states, bill supporters say. 'Where you live should not determine whether or not you can afford a health insurance policy,' says Angela Hunter, federal affairs director for the Council for Affordable Health Insurance. Shadegg says his bill would 'create a national market for health insurance.' This additional competition would keep a lid on premiums, he says. Under the legislation, any insurer that meets the regulatory requirements of its home state could sell in any state."
Forum airs concerns on mental health care (Kansas) Lawrence Journal-World story - "A task force studying mental health care options heard emotional pleas Monday night for an inpatient mental health center in Lawrence. ... About 60 people attended the forum hosted by the 16-member task force, which was formed recently by the Community Health Improvement Project, or CHIP. Task force members include representatives from the city and county in the areas of mental and physical health and social services, as well as politicians, educators, the clergy and law enforcement officials..."
Psychiatrists may push for gay marriage OK AP story at the
Boston Globe - "Representatives of the nation's top psychiatric group approved a statement Sunday urging legal recognition of gay marriage. If approved by the association's directors in July, the measure would make the American Psychiatric Association the first major medical group to take such a stance. The statement supports same-sex marriage 'in the interest of maintaining and promoting mental health.' It follows a similar measure by the American Psychological Association last year, little more than three decades after that group removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders..."
Extend Kendra's law (New York) Editorial in
Newsday - "It's an unexpected pleasure when Albany does something that actually works. It did when it enacted Kendra's Law, giving courts the power to force mentally ill outpatients with histories of violence and hospitalizations to stay in treatment. The legislature should extend the commonsense law that sunsets on June 30. But it shouldn't make it permanent unless studies show that the court orders, which circumscribe the rights of the mentally ill, are critical to the law's success. They may be, but a previous experiment with assisted outpatient treatment suggested that the key component could be the enhanced services and intensive follow-up the law mandates. Albany should continue funding those services while reviewing whether the legal compulsion really helps..."
Violence widespread in NHS units (UK) BBC story - "Violence against patients and staff is widespread in mental health and learning disability inpatient units, research shows. A national audit found one in three inpatient service users had experienced violent or threatening behaviour while in care. For clinical staff the figure was 41%, and for nursing staff a massive 80%. The study was carried out by the Healthcare Commission and the Royal College of Psychiatrists."
Nevada committee approves mental health funding Las Vegas Sun story - "A Nevada Assembly panel voted Monday for nearly $15 million in new mental health funding, with nearly half going to help resolve a care crisis in Las Vegas. Supporters said AB175, approved unanimously by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee, fills the gaps that are aggravating the crisis. There are only 131 psychiatric beds in facilities other than general hospitals in the Las Vegas area, a shortage that led Clark County to declare an emergency last July. The bill provides funding for 90 placements in community-based housing and support services, adding to the 90 requested by the governor in his proposed budget..."
