Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Depression Treatment Device Sparks Debate AP story at
Yahoo - "A tiny device about the size of a pocketwatch has treated hundreds of depression patients in clinical trials across the country. It's on the verge of being the first depression treatment device to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. But the progress comes amid questions about whether the device's Houston-based manufacturer, Cyberonics Inc., has sufficiently proven that it's safe and it works."
Consumer-Run Drop-In Centers: Program Operations and Costs Article in the spring issue of
Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal (in
Adobe Acrobat format), based on telephone interviews with 32 consumer-run drop-in centres in Michigan. As noted in CMHA-Ontario's
Mental Health Notes, the single greatest challenge facing these programs was funding - "According to the authors of the study, consumer-run approaches may be moving towards a more prominent role in mental health systems. The purpose of the current study was to gather more specific information about the operation of consumer-run centres as the basis for future research so that any differences in outcomes could be related to differences in characteristics among centres. Program characteristics, resources, and funding levels differed widely among the centres."
Nationwide Treatment Facility Locator of Drug, Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs Updated May 20 SAMHSA press release - " The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) online Treatment Facility Locator has been updated and is now available. The locator is a searchable database of more than 11,000 addiction treatment programs around the country that treat alcohol and drug abuse problems. Persons seeking treatment can use the locator to find the treatment facilities nearest them that offer the particular services they need. A comprehensive set of instructions on how to use the enhanced locator is being released today in a short report, Using the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator. The locator includes private and public substance abuse treatment facilities that are licensed, certified or otherwise approved for inclusion by their state substance abuse agency in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, and the Virgin Islands." See also the
Treatment Facility Locator at the SAMHSA web site.
US House sets funds for veterans' mental health Reuters story - "Mental-health care for American soldiers returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan would receive guaranteed funding under legislation approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday. The initiative, which must also be approved by the Senate, would require that the Department of Veterans Affairs spend $2.2 billion on mental health care in fiscal year 2006. It would be the first time that Congress mandated a spending level for such care. The initiative also would double spending on mental health research."
Director of state's mental health office has resigned (Washington) Story in
The Olympian - "Washington state's top mental health official has resigned, just a month after another senior manager resigned from the Department of Social and Health Services. Karl Brimner, 57, resigned Wednesday, DSHS officials said Friday. Agency spokesman Jeff Weathersby refused to give any details of why Brimner resigned, or whether he was asked to step down. Brimner was director of the agency's Mental Health Division since 2001, overseeing the state's troubled principal mental institution, Western State Hospital, as well as Eastern State Hospital and a community mental health network."
Committee considers funding for Nevada mental health Las Vegas Sun story - "A bill allotting $15 million to mental health needs throughout the state is under consideration by a Senate committee - but it hasn't been funded yet, just a week before the Nevada Legislature is set to adjourn. AB175, a top priority for Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, would provide about $8 million in ongoing funding for mental health courts in the Reno, Carson City and Las Vegas areas and community triage centers in Reno and Las Vegas. The money also would go for an additional 90 community-based housing placements and support services, adding to the 90 requested by Gov. Kenny Guinn in his proposed budget."
