Tuesday, November 19, 2002

Court To Mull Disability Case Limits
AP story at InteliHealth - "The Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider more limits on lawsuits by the disabled, this time involving a state medical board's refusal to license a mentally ill doctor. Justices will decide whether agencies, like the California Medical Board, have constitutional protection from lawsuits under a federal disability law."  
  

The At-Risk Youth Industry
Feature article in The Atlantic - "Claims that contracting out social services would improve efficiency and lower costs have not panned out—and the projected windfalls for private contractors have failed to materialize. Many state and local governments, however, continue to entrust social services to profit-driven companies. Examining the records of some of the industry's leaders highlights the substantial social costs of doing so."  
  

New report slams mental health system (Canada)
Ottowa Citizen story on a report by Ontario Public Service Employees Union - "An acute shortage of beds for those with serious mental illnesses in Ontario is short-changing patients and placing an undue burden on general hospitals and jails, a report released Monday concludes." The full rport, "Reality: Ontario's Mental Health Care System Isn't Working" is available from the OPSEU web site in Adobe Acrobat format.