Wednesday, April 21, 2004

OPC officials shifting focus with mental health reforms (North Carolina)
Courier-Times story - "Person County in May will take the final steps toward joining with Orange and Chatham counties in establishing the machinery that will formally shift their responsibilities to managing mental health-related services rather than providing them. For roughly three decades, Orange, Person and Chatham counties have partnered to provide services for their respective citizens, both adults and children, who needed assistance with mental illnesses, developmental disabilities and drug and substance abuse problems through Orange-Person-Chatham Area Mental Health. But now, North Carolina is invoking broad reforms pertaining to mental health services, and as a part of those reforms, agencies such as OPC are mandated to change their thinking and their approach...."  
  

New Report Finds U.S. Unprepared for Mental Health Impact of Terrorist Acts
PR Newswire press release at Yahoo - "The United States public health and homeland security systems are not adequately prepared for dealing with the psychological effects of terrorism, finds a new report from a Task Force of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP). The report asks Congress to take action since current systems ignore mental health planning and do not include science-based approaches for risk communications to the general public..."