Thursday, May 20, 2004

Bill would let suspended firms take new clients (Louisiana)
Times-Picayune story - "Mental health service providers suspended by state authorities would be allowed to accept new clients while their cases are being appealed under a resolution that squeaked through a House committee Wednesday. ... Supporters said the resolution is designed to guarantee due process rights and keep the companies from going out of business while their cases are heard. Opponents said the resolution would be a setback to efforts launched last year after the state's $39 million mental health rehabilitation program was harshly criticized in an advocacy group's report..."  
  

Photos provide windows on ill children's worlds (Massachusetts)
Boston Globe article on a project at the Framingham-based Wayside Youth and Family Support Network - "At first, the idea was to document children and families affected by mental illness through a series of essays and photo portraits. But then staff ... had a more innovative idea: Why not let the children take the pictures and let their work speak for itself? So they put two dozen disposable cameras into the hands of children enrolled in programs at Wayside and at the Walker Home and School in Needham. The children have brain conditions including autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, developmental delays, Tourette's syndrome, depression, and bipolar disease. Some have suffered physical, psychological, or sexual abuse. For many, self-expression in any form is no easy task..."