Thursday, February 17, 2005

Incarceration of Youth Who Are Waiting for Community Mental Health Services in California A report (in Adobe Acrobat format) from the US House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform - Minority Staff Special Investigations Unit - " The U.S. Surgeon General has found that debilitating mental disorders affect one in five U.S. youth, but access to effective treatment is often limited. This report documents what happens to California youth with mental illnesses when treatment is not available. It finds that hundreds of California youth are inappropriately incarcerated every day to wait for community mental health services." The report was brought to our attention at the Open Minds web site.  
  

$22 Million Available for Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program SAMHSA press release - "The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced the availability of FY 2005 funds for cooperative agreements to develop integrated home and community-based services and supports for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. It is expected that approximately $22 million will be available to fund up to 22 cooperative agreements to encourage the development and expansion of effective and enduring systems of care. The annual award amount will be approximately $1 million in total costs (direct and indirect) for year one; $1.5 million for year two; $2 million for year three; $2 million for year four; $1.5 million for year five and $1 million for year six. The actual award amount may vary, depending on the availability of funds. The cooperative agreements will be administered by SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services."  
  

Rising health costs could bankrupt state, Perry says (Texas) Houston Chronicle story - "Rising health care costs will soon bankrupt Texas and other states without help from the federal government and private employers, Gov. Rick Perry said Monday. Perry said the federal government must increase federal funding for Medicaid and give the states more flexibility over the health care program for the poor. At the same time, he added, Texas needs to find a way for more private employers to purchase health care coverage for their workers..."