Monday, February 09, 2004
Cuts threaten programs for Oregons mentally illStory in the
Statesman Journal - "...all too often, in this state and many others, mental health treatment has been poorly funded, leaving legions of desperately ill people to fend for themselves. Without treatment and support, some end up homeless. Others commit crimes. In the wake of voter rejection of tax-increasing Measure 30, advocates for mentally ill people fear that thousands more Oregonians will lose their crucial mental health assistance, from outpatient treatment to prescription medications. They warn that if that happens, some will be cast adrift or join a growing influx of mentally ill people doing hard time in Oregon prisons and jails..."
Future of mental health discussed (Tennessee)KnoxNews story - "Almost 130 people - mental health consumers and representatives from about 35 agencies - showed up at a state-sponsored meeting Thursday to "brainstorm" about the future of mental health in Tennessee. The meetings - also held in January in Middle and West Tennessee - are "Phase One" of a two-part plan to develop a consensus about changes the state Department of Mental Health and Development Disabilities should make in the mental health system in the next two years. Information gathered at these forums and at smaller, follow-up meetings scheduled for March and April will be "distilled" into a report and given to state planners..."
Editorial: Insuring mental health (Washington)An editorial in the
Seattle Times - "About 20 percent of Americans struggle with mental illness each year, but fewer than half ever seek treatment, a 1999 U.S. Surgeon General report found. A key reason: The cost to the patient, who usually has to pay more for a mental-health-care visit than for a physician's visit. Many insurance plans have higher copayments for mental-health care and stricter limits for visits or inpatient stays. But supporters of legislative proposals that would require employers' health care to treat mental and physical illness in similar ways say there's a greater cost. Employers pay through lower productivity and increased sick leave. And society pays in criminal-justice and public-health-care costs..."
Lawmakers decry mental health cutback (Vermont)Brattleboro Reformer story - "Windham County lawmakers blasted a proposed 1 percent increase in the governor's proposed budget for community mental health care on Friday, saying that more funding is needed for facilities like Health Care and Rehabilitation Services in Bellows Falls. ... Earlier this week, officials from HCRS said that they had hoped to be able to offer a 3 percent salary increase to employees next year, but that the governor's 1 percent budget increase would not allow it. Wage increases at HCRS have averaged about 1.5 percent over the past decade, and HCRS officials said they wanted to stave off the high staff turnover, which came to about 20 percent in 2002.
Bill enhances rural mental health options (nebraska)Story in
The Nebraskan - "Study after study has shown the rural communities of Nebraska are lacking mental health professionals. But Sen. Doug Cunningham of Wausa says he has a proposal to help this problem without costing taxpayers a thing. An existing law provides medical and dental students with student loans if they promise to practice in a rural community after graduation. Cunningham wants to amend this law with a bill that would extend the loans to mental health students..."
Mental health drug costs strain budgets (Wisconsin)Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story - "The rising cost of prescription drugs has some Wisconsin counties struggling to sustain programs that provide free medication to indigent mental health patients. Some mental health advocates worry that patients caught in a financial pinch might stop taking medication needed to control depression, schizophrenia or other illnesses."
