Friday, April 16, 2004

State Mental Health Authorities Response to Terrorism
A 73 page report, in Adobe Acrobat format, from the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) Medical Directors Council  - "The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) Medical Directors Council developed its ninth technical paper through a series of pre-meeting conferences calls and extensive discussions at a workgroup summit held May 5-6, 2003 in Alexandria, VA. Participants included State Mental Health Authority (SMHA) medical directors, commissioners, public health leaders, consumers, disaster mental health experts, and consultants with Federal and State response experience..."  
  

Answering the Challenge: Responses to the New Freedom Commission Final Report
The Spring 2004 issue of networks, the newsletter of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, focuses on the impact of last year's New Freedom Commission report, gathering viewpoints from Commission members, consumers who work in the field and federal officials (Adobe Acrobat format).    
  

Mental health providers worry over proposed funds (Illinois)
Quad City Times story - "Proposed changes in the way Illinois pays for services are raising concerns among the state’s mental health community, concerns the Department of Human Services, or DHS, is attempting to squelch. Gov. Rod Blagojevich has proposed mental health providers switch from flat-grant funding to a fee-for-service system in order to capture an additional $60 million in Medicaid funds as lawmakers wrestle with an estimated $1.7 billion to $3.8 billion deficit. Under the current system, providers receive grants upfront. The proposed model would require providers to submit a bill after services are provided."