Monday, April 25, 2005

U.S. Governors Consider Medicaid Reform Newsday story - "The nation's governors, weighing what to tell Congress they want from Medicaid reform, may take aim at the common practice of seniors giving away their assets so the government pays for nursing home care. They could also demand that the poor pay a share -- or a greater share -- of their health care bills. Those proposals, along with more consumer-friendly recommendations like tax credits for long-term care insurance, are being circulated among the governors in a 12-page document -- a working draft of a statement that could be taken to Congress and the Bush administration. The idea is that the governors would have a united position in the debate over how to rein in soaring costs of the state-federal health care program for the poor. Governors have not yet agreed on the recommendations and it's unclear yet whether a majority will, according to interviews with governors, state Medicaid officials, aides and health care professionals who have been involved or apprised of the discussions and seen the draft document."  
  

Utah mental health advocate dies in crash AP story at the Daily Herald - "A longtime Utah advocate for the mentally ill died on icy roads after losing control of her car in Sardine Canyon. Vicki Cottrell was executive director of the Utah chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and often provided a public counterweight for mentally ill people accused of some of Utah's most high-profile crimes... Cottrell's legacy is etched into Utah's lawbooks, including a measure that helps families get care for mentally ill relatives who have resisted treatment. She also worked with Salt Lake City police to help officers identify the signs of mental illness when responding to calls."  
  

Amish community builds mental-health home (Pennsylvania) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story - "On the grounds of a private psychiatric center, a modest two-story house with light gray siding is being built by Amish carpenters. Their labor is creating a service currently unavailable to members of this area's Old Order Amish and conservative Mennonite communities who suffer from mental illness. The house known as Green Pastures will allow the Amish to live among their own people and maintain a lifestyle that eschews modern conveniences -- no television or radio -- while receiving outpatient clinical treatment."  
  

Mentally Ill Sent to Mental Health Courts (Alabama) Washington Post story - "The mental health courts in Montgomery and Jefferson counties accept mentally ill defendants charged with felonies, while those in Madison County help people charged with misdemeanors. All work only with nonviolent, non-sex offenders who have been prescreened and diagnosed by a state mental health expert. The biggest challenge reported by mental health officials is targeting potential candidates as early as possible, according to a Bureau of Justice Assistance report on mental health courts. Such intervention avoids 'the damaging experience of arrest and confinement..' " [Viewing Washington Post stories requires registration, which is free.]