Thursday, May 13, 2004

District of Columbia: Status of Reforms to the District’s Mental Health System
A GAO report (in Adobe Acrobat format) available at the Open Minds web site - "Since 1975, the District of Columbia has operated its mental health system under a series of court orders aimed at developing a community-based system of care for District residents with mental illnesses. Placed in receivership from 1997 to 2002, the District regained full control of its mental health system in 2002 but has been ordered to implement a courtapproved plan for developing and implementing a community-based mental health system. Additionally, the District must comply with exit criteria, which must be met in order to end the lawsuit. The court expects that it will take the District 3 to 5 years to implement the courtordered plan and begin measuring performance against the exit criteria, with year 1 beginning in July 2001. GAO was asked to report on the current status of the District’s efforts to develop and implement (1) a mental health department with the authority to oversee and deliver services, (2) a comprehensive enrollment and billing system that accesses available funds for federal programs such as Medicaid, (3) a consumer-centered approach to services, and (4) methods to measure the District’s performance as required by the court’s exit criteria."  
  

Cover the Uninsured Week
The web site of a project sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - " There are nearly 44 million Americans living without health coverage – including 8.5 million children. In 2002, the number of people without health coverage increased by more than 2 million, the largest one-year increase in a decade. Unfortunately, the problem won’t get better soon. Rising health care costs continue to undermine the ability of individuals, businesses and state governments to purchase health care coverage. Reversing this disturbing trend, elevating this issue on the national and local agendas, educating Americans about the problem and providing immediate assistance to the uninsured and small business owners are the goals of Cover the Uninsured Week 2004..." See also Health Care Proposals Vary Widely in the Hartford Courant and Healthcare Issues Attract Plenty of Talk but Little Action in the Los Angeles Times.  
  

Lawmakers Assail NIH Conflict Rules
Los Angeles Times story - "Members of Congress from both parties on Wednesday criticized conflict-of-interest policies at the National Institutes of Health and told the agency's director that the recent recommendations of his blue-ribbon advisory panel fell short of what was needed. After listening to the criticisms at a hearing on Capitol Hill, NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni conceded for the first time that the agency's policies had 'failed.' Zerhouni said that, as of this week, he was seeking to force an additional 500 senior employees to begin publicly disclosing any fees paid to them by drug companies or other parties. Two months ago, Zerhouni compelled public disclosure from 93 other NIH leaders." [Viewing Los Angeles Times stories requires registration, which is free].  
  

DiVeronica shows up at union forum (New York)
Oneida Dispatch story - "Madison County Mental Health employees and their union representatives say they are addressing the possibility of privatization of the department before county supervisors decide to take action. More than 50 people, mainly mental health employees, attended an informational meeting Wednesday at Oneida High School. Supervisors have been looking at the possibility of privatizing the department after a 2001 report found the department was annually losing money and worker performance between full and part-time employees was unequal. The report stated the department was losing between $500,000 and $750,000 annually. County officials say the department has greatly improved and last year cost the county just $8,445. Madison County Board of Supervisors Chairman Rocco DiVeronica, who initially said he would not attend the forum, did show up with Oneida's supervisors Don Behr and Jim Rafte, said the look at privatizing is a long process and public input would come before any final decision by the board..."  
  

Mental-health advocates rally at Ohio Statehouse
Cincinnati Enquirer story - "Nearly 100 mental health advocates gathered Tuesday on the Statehouse lawn and, with the help of connecting jump ropes, formed a chain around the Statehouse to promote mental-health issues for children. ... After the Statehouse rally, a few participants, including officials with the Ohio Federation for Children's Mental Health, which organized the event, met with state lawmakers. "  
  

State urges mental health merger (North Carolina)
Fayetteville Observer story - "The state told the Sandhills mental health program Monday to reconsider merging with Lee and Harnett counties. It has asked for a decision by June 14 so a merger could be completed by a July 2005 deadline. In April, the Sandhills board rejected a merger request from the Lee-Harnett Area Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Authority. The merger issue has been a source of disagreement between the Lee-Harnett authority and the Lee and Harnett boards of commissioners in recent months. Under state-mandated mental health reform guidelines, the Lee-Harnett authority does not serve enough people to stand alone. Charged with finding a program to merge with, the authority staff chose Cumberland County. The boards of commissioners in both counties overruled that decision and told the authority to approach Sandhills..."  
  

APA Poll: Most Americans Have Sought Mental Health Treatment But Cost, Insurance Still Barriers
APA press release at Yahoo - "Nearly half of Americans have had someone in their household seek mental health treatment, but most still perceive cost and lack of insurance coverage as barriers according to national poll results released today by the American Psychological Association (APA). The poll also shows that stigma about seeking mental health treatment is increasingly less of a barrier to getting treatment. Nearly half (48%) of American households have had someone see a mental health professional and nine out of 10 Americans say they are likely to consult or recommend a mental health professional if they or a family member are experiencing a problem..."