Friday, October 18, 2002

Concern grows as funding cut for mentally ill (Tennessee)
GoMemphis story - "Tennessee is slashing services to mentally ill adults to balance its under-funded mental health budget, and state lawmakers fear the situation will only worsen as thousands of seriously mentally ill people are likely to be removed from the TennCare program."  
  

$3 Million for Jail Diversion Awarded to Ten Communities
SAMHSA press release - "Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced new grants to help 10 communities build capacity to divert persons with mental illness from the criminal justice system to community-based mental health and supportive services such as health care, housing and job placement. Also announced today was a new grant for a national Technical Assistance and Policy Analysis (TAPA) Center. This Center will provide information and assistance to the 10 grantees and other communities implementing jail diversion. It will also establish a national database on diversion program evaluations."  
  

Task force makes recommendations on mental health (Arkansas)
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette story - "After months of meetings, an area task force developing treatment options for the mentally ill was prepared to pitch a variety of recommendations, including adding a 12-bed inpatient facility, to area legislators Wednesday. Just one showed up to hear them. State Representative Jan Judy, D-Fayetteville, was the sole state legislator to hear the final presentation of the Northwest Arkansas Mental Health/HIV Crisis Stabilization Task Force. The lack of legislators at the presentation may mirror the apathy for mental health-system problems that, Judy said, exists at the state level."