Thursday, September 19, 2002

Psychiatrists’ departure forces Mental health division closure (Montana)
Helena Independent Record story - "The departure of two psychiatrists has led to what’s being called a temporary closure of the Support Center, the six-bed mental health division of St. Peter’s Hospital."  
  

The life and death of the city's drug court (Connecticut)
Yale Daily News feature on an experimental drug court program that was ended in August by the state's chief administrative judge, citing "a huge state budget deficit."  
  

Federal Audit: DCF Failing (Connecticut)
Hartford Courant story - "A federal audit of Connecticut's child-protection system shows the state still lags far behind national standards in finding permanent homes for children in foster care despite some recent successes."  
  

Judge puts AMHC wing closure on hold (Illinois)
Story in The Telegraph - "The union representing workers at the Alton Mental Health Center's civil wing won a round in court Wednesday by persuading a judge to order the state to obtain a permit before closing the unit."  
  

Facilities for juveniles lacking (California)
Story in the Appeal-Democrat - "Legislation on the governor's desk pressuring counties to move children out of juvenile halls into nonsecure facilities would hurt children in need of special treatment, according to Yuba and Sutter County probation agencies."  
  

NIH News Release--NIH Awards Grants for Two New Autism Research Centers
NIH press release - "The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced grants totaling $19 million to support the first two research centers of a major network of facilities to focus on the biomedical and behavioral aspects of autism. The overall initiative, called STAART (Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment) Centers Program, was established in response to the Children’s Health Act of 2000, which calls for five new autism research centers by the end of FY 2003."