Monday, June 16, 2003

Governors' Effort to Revise Medicaid Stalls
June 13 Washington Post story - "Five Republican governors working with their Democratic counterparts on a plan to revamp Medicaid conceded yesterday the bipartisan effort has failed and said they instead hope to strike a deal with the Bush administration. Just 10 days ago, governors and their aides optimistically declared they were on the verge of an agreement to refashion the health insurance program for 44 million low-income Americans. The compromise unraveled, both sides say, after aggressive lobbying by Democratic senators who oppose the changes."  
  

Parents' drug abuse harms children
A June 5 BBC story on a study carried out by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs - "The report, entitled Hidden Harm, calls for children to be taken into account when drug abuse strategies are being formulated." At drugs.gov.uk, the cross-government website to support the National Drug Strategy, there's a page with information on ordering hardcopy and direct links to Adobe Acrobat versions of the full report, cover sheet, executive summary and appendices.  
  

At AA Birthplace, Bush Officials Promote New Treatment Plan
AP story reprinted at Join Together - "Using the birthplace of the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a backdrop, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) promoted President Bush's new addiction-treatment voucher plan."  
  

HHS Awards 14 Grants Totaling $23 Million To Provide Substance Abuse And Mental Health Services For Homeless People
SAMHSA press release at the NCADI web site - "HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 14 grants totaling $23 million over three years to provide substance abuse and mental health services to homeless individuals. ... The grants will support treatment programs and other services for people who are homeless, as well as people who are at imminent risk for becoming homeless because they are sharing another person's residence on a temporary basis."  
  

Mental health reform movement loses steam
Jewish World Review feature article - "On a spring day last year, President Bush blew into Albuquerque on the winds of change. His mission: to help propel the movement to reform mental health care. The president was clear and emphatic. ... That day, the president announced his New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, charged with evaluating the nation's system of psychiatric care. And he pledged support for equalizing insurance coverage between traditionally physical illnesses and severe mental ones. ... More than a year later, as patients and advocates await the commission's final report, much has happened to take the wind out of the movement's sails. ...