Monday, April 04, 2005

2003 mental-health study credited with opening doors (Pennsylvania) Philadelphia Inquirer story - "In February, a new mental-health center for children and adolescents opened in Kennett Square. In just two months, 30 clients have come through the door. Last November, the Coatesville Area School District became the first in the state to have mental-health counselors available in all its schools. So far, 100 children have used the services. Leaders in Chester County's human services community told the county commissioners yesterday that these programs and others are vivid examples of turning results of a groundbreaking study into action. 'What we found out from the study was that we did not have good access to mental-health services for children and their families,' said Ruth Kranz-Carl, director of the Chester County Department of Human Services. The study, released in 2003, showed that in these two parts of the county, slightly more than 5 percent of people 19 and younger who were eligible for the services were receiving them, as opposed to 11 percent in the rest of the county, she said."  
  

Pared-down mental health bill receives subcommittee approval (Alabama) Tuscaloosa News story - "A House panel has approved a bill that would require insurance companies to cover mental illness treatment but it limits how long the coverage would last each year. A House subcommittee on Wednesday approved the bill that would require coverage for nine mental disabilities including major depression and bipolar disorder. The proposal would limit coverage to 105 days a year. Key lawmakers insisted a cap was the bill's only chance of passing..."  
  

Codey welcomes a fight for mental health reforms (New Jersey) Newark Star Ledger story - "Acting Gov. RichardCodey yesterday embraced a sweeping plan to improve the state's mental health system, pledging to enact a package of laws needed to make it happen by July 1. But to get two of the most controversial elements of his agenda done, he will have to contend with business owners and insurers worried about the cost of mandating more generous mental health coverage. He also expects to clash with mental health advocates who oppose a proposal that would force resistant patients to undergo treatment or face commitment in a psychiatric hospital." See also the Treatment Advocacy Center press release, Governor's Task Force on Mental Health Recommends Assisted Outpatient Treatment for New Jersey.  
  

Mental health officials sued (North Carolina) Charlotte Observer story - "A federally funded watchdog group is suing state and local mental health officials, accusing them of failing to protect mentally ill children in group homes. The Governor's Advocacy Council for People with Disabilities filed suit Friday in state court in Wake County. The civil rights protection agency seeks a court order that would force mental health officials to hire more monitors and issue stiffer punishment when they find problems in the more than 1,000 N.C. group homes serving mentally ill children. If the lawsuit succeeds, public agencies could be ordered to spend millions to improve the state's oversight of group homes..."  
  

Drug court program expanded to include mental health issues (Idaho) Idaho State Journal story - "With the number of prison inmates rising and their health care costs showing no signs of slowing, the Idaho Legislature is turning to a familiar model for help. The Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to establish a mental health court system in the state that will be similar to the widely-praised drug court system created in 2001. Calling them an 'innovative alternative to incarceration,' Sen. Patti Anne Lodge of Huston said mental health courts are a logical next step."  
  

TennCare judge chastises both sides (Tennessee) Story in The Tennessean - " A federal judge yesterday chastised the state's TennCare lawyers and the lawyers for enrollees for failing to resolve their disputes in order to spare 323,000 people from losing their health-care benefits. U.S. District Judge William J. Haynes Jr. told lawyers that the program's financial problems could be dramatically reduced by implementing three basic changes in TennCare prescription drug policies — measures that both sides told Haynes they support and agree would save millions..." See also the brief story, An advocate for the mentally ill testified that enrollment cuts in TennCare will hurt the health of patients (WCYB).  
  

Mental health bill debated (South Carolina) Island Packet Online story - "Most people with health insurance in South Carolina could get more mental health coverage under a bill working its way through the state House of Representatives. But mental health officials argue the bill doesn't go far enough to provide equal coverage for mental and physical illnesses, despite the increased coverage the legislation would require. Others representing businesses claim the coverage would increase premiums for all those with insurance unless the diseases and amount of treatment are restricted..."