Monday, February 09, 2004

Mentally ill on crusade to overcome powerful opposition (Ohio)
Story in The Advocate - " For nine years, Ohio Rep. Lynn Olman has been on a personal crusade on behalf of the more than 300,000 mentally ill residents of Ohio. The Maumee Republican has lobbied his colleagues and spent more minutes than he can count giving testimony in committee and speeches on the House floor. He has begged and pleaded, offering up his own personal story of how his brother, Kurt, committed suicide 15 years ago after suffering from depression. Olman, the dean of the Republican House caucus, has fought to require insurance companies to offer the same coverage for mental illnesses that they do for physical ones. While Gov. Bob Taft and the Senate may ultimately prevent the bill from getting into law, this past week the House reversed years of opposition and passed the measure..."  
  

Cuts threaten programs for Oregon’s mentally ill
Story in the Statesman Journal - "...all too often, in this state and many others, mental health treatment has been poorly funded, leaving legions of desperately ill people to fend for themselves. Without treatment and support, some end up homeless. Others commit crimes. In the wake of voter rejection of tax-increasing Measure 30, advocates for mentally ill people fear that thousands more Oregonians will lose their crucial mental health assistance, from outpatient treatment to prescription medications. They warn that if that happens, some will be cast adrift or join a growing influx of mentally ill people doing hard time in Oregon prisons and jails..."