Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Managed Care Laws Did Not Favor Provider Interests, Study Finds   Medscape Medical News - "The flurry of patient protection laws passed by states during the managed care backlash of the late 1990s did not, contrary to popular opinion, favor the interest of physicians and hospitals over that of consumers, a new study finds. Instead, these laws, which often include provisions that require health plans to accept all providers into a network; mandate that notice be given when providers are 'deselected' from a network; and call for direct access to certain specialists, represented a 'convenient alignment of interests among providers, patients, and lawmakers,' according to the study. It was published in the Dec. 15, 2004, issue of the American Journal of Medicine." "med"  
  

$70 Million Available for 2005 Drug Free Communities Support Program Coalition Grants   SAMHSA press release - "The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) today announced the availability of FY 2005 funds for Drug Free Communities Support Program (DFCSP) grants to improve community efforts to plan, promote and deliver effective substance abuse prevention strategies. $70 million will be available for approximately 700 awards open to new applicants and those competing for renewal awards. The annual award amount will be up to $100,000 for up to five years. The actual award amount may vary, depending on the availability of funds in subsequent years. The grants will be administered by SAMHSA from money provided by ONDCP under the Drug Free Communities Support Program. An announcement is expected later this winter on the availability of mentoring grants under this program..."  
  

New experiment: mental health court (Maine)   Kennebec Journal story - "... An unusual coalition of judicial officials, advocates for the mentally ill, police and prosecutors are looking to give judges new alternatives to jail for defendants suffering from mental illness. ... The chairman of the state's influential Sentencing Commission, Donald Allen, says finding better ways to handle the mentally ill in Maine prisons has become his panel's top priority."  
  

Initiatives on mental health win plaudits (New Jersey)   Courier-Post story - "Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey used his State of the State address to continue his focus on mental health, calling for a $200 million plan to build housing for the mentally ill and disabled and easing student loans for social workers. He also proposed a campaign to help mothers who suffer depression after giving birth. ...  Codey's housing plan would create 10,000 affordable housing units for the mentally ill and disabled over the next 10 years, he said. He also proposed relieving up to $20,000 in student loans for college graduates who take jobs in mental health or social service facilities that work with the state, counties or state contractors. Advocates for the mentally ill and disabled praised both proposals, which come from recommendations of the Mental Health Task Force Codey created in November. "