Monday, June 20, 2005

How long will we continue to punish the mentally ill? Op ed piece in the Houston Chronicle by David Buck, associate professor of Family and Community Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and Tuon Nguyen of the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County - "...These vulnerable people are often overlooked, stigmatized and punished for conditions they cannot control without help. They can be difficult, demanding and helpless, and society turns a blind eye to their plight. This is especially true in Harris County, where there are 60 percent fewer mental health treatment beds than recommended in national standards. The help that is available is uncoordinated and difficult to access, leaving many of these vulnerable people on the streets or in prison — and without treatment. County agencies, such as the Mental Health and Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County and the Harris County Hospital District, are looking at ways to merge services into a more rational system. Without funneling the funds for behavioral health for the county into a common pool with governance over all services, it is unlikely services can be significantly improved. In that spirit, Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston (HHH), an independent nonprofit corporation, is developing several programs to help mentally ill patients who have committed crimes."  
  

Prisons in South Carolina may face legal problems Charlotte Observer story - "Low state funding and concerns about the treatment of mentally ill prisoners could create legal problems for South Carolina's Corrections Department, its director says. Agency director Jon Ozmint says he sat down earlier this year with lawyers from a Columbia law firm that has been looking into how the prisons take care of mentally ill inmates. The firm -- Nelson, Mullins, Riley and Scarborough -- confirmed this week that it has prepared a lawsuit involving mental health issues that could be filed soon. Officials of the firm would not elaborate on their plans."