Dr. David Shern, president and CEO of Mental Health America, recently spoke about mental health policy at a seminar sponsored by the Mental Health Association of Palm Beach County.
Arguing that "the next century of mental health in the U.S. needs to be fundamentally different" from the last one, he makes the case for a new "vision for mental health now within our grasp."
The blog Our Health Policy Matters wrote about the talk and is linked here.
Mental Health America has joined with a number of organizations in expressing support for the Positive Aging Act, which will be introduced by Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).
Improving Lives, Avoiding Tragedies
The recent tragedy in Arizona reminds us all of the importance of the early identification of mental illness and the critical need for intervention with effective services and supports. Serious mental illness impacts large numbers of our nation’s youth. Mental illness is treatable and the best outcomes occur with early identification and intervention. We can avoid the tragic and costly consequences of unidentified and untreated mental illness in youth by taking action. We can and should do far better for our nation’s youth.
On Thursday, February 17, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano and a panel of mental health advocates and experts, including LA Laker Ron Artest and champion boxer Mia St. John, will examine the Mental Health in Schools Act, a bill authored by Napolitano to allocate federal grant funding for mental health services in schools. One in five children and adolescents in the United States currently suffers from a mental illness, and most will have shown their first symptoms by age 14. Professional treatment can prevent depression, crime, imprisonment and suicide later in life, but lack of support for mental health services has left many youth without help. By putting more licensed professionals on-site and in the schools, the Mental Health in Schools Act will help detect mental illness early and assist youth before their problems grow worse. The briefing will examine the potential effect of the Mental Health in Schools Act and hear from advocates who have personally been affected by mental health programs in their own lives.
More information available at www.napolitano.house.gov/mhsa.shtml
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At a Capitol Hill briefing on Wednesday, February 16, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) will release the results of a nationwide survey showing that states have been forced to cut nearly $2.2 billion from public mental health services — the largest single combined funding reduction in generations. The tragic events in Tucson, Arizona have sparked a “national conversation” about the “adequacy of our mental health system” as President Obama said in his memorial speech.
Vital services as such as crisis mobile teams for homeless persons, supported employment and public safety programs are all jeopardized by additional budget cuts. As the House Appropriations Committee announced cuts totaling nearly $100 million for mental health and addiction programs just last week, this panel will address the consequences of continuing budget reductions. |
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Coping with plenty of leisure activities and sense of purpose in life
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