Tuesday, November 05, 2002

Interim Report: President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
The interim report of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (Adobe Acrobat), which called the mental health system "an inefficient maze of private, federal, state and local government programs" and found that multiple barriers impede access to effective treatment, services and supports: "The array of programs that deliver or pay for treatments, services and supports are offered by multiple levels of government and the private sector. The varying missions, settings and financing of these health, housing, disability and employment programs create a mental health maze instead of a coordinated system. Navigating this maze is left to the people with the mental illness and their families, who are least equipped to deal with the complexities of the system. As a result, it is often impossible for families and consumers to find the care that they urgently need." See also the related press release and fact sheet. More information is available at the Commission's web site.