Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Filling behavioral health-service gaps
An APA Monitor article on testimony by an Jalie A. Tucker, chair of APA's Board of Professional Affairs, to the Institute of Medicine on ways to improve behavioral health access and quality - " The IOM Board on Health Care Services has appointed a committee to examine the application of mental health to recommendations for improving quality and delivery of health care put forth in IOM's 2001 report, "Crossing the quality chasm--a new health system for the 21st century." Tucker and several other mental health representatives offered their testimony to help the board meet its charge of forming an agenda for mental health. The IOM committee plans to gather testimony from a variety of stakeholders and deliver its report during the summer of 2005. " See also information available online on the IOM's health care quality initiatives.