On the CMHS Front
Brief updates on various activities
Invitational Meeting about Involuntary Mental Health Interventions and Coercive Practices. CMHS has scheduled a meeting to be held in December about involuntary interventions and coercive practices. The purpose of the meeting is to invite consumers/survivors, families, lawyers, providers, insurance purchasers and researchers to recommend possible activities CMHS and others might engage in to address this important topic.
The National Technical Assistance Meeting of State Mental Health Representatives was held in May in Richmond, Va. CMHS brought together key state mental health representatives from across the nation for "Partners in Mental Health." Conference participants discussed the application process to apply for federal block grant funds for mental health services and shared information on mental health needs, resources, and solutions.
SAMHSA to convene National Conference on Women: September 21-24, Phoenix, Ariz. This conference will identify various mental health and substance abuse women's issues and explore opportunities for resolving the unique circumstances that face American women, their families, and their communities.
New Children's Mental Health Education Video released. To help raise awareness of the need for a full array of coordinated, community-based systems of care, CMHS this spring released "Voices of Strength: An Inside Look at Children's Mental Health." The 20-minute video highlights the stories of young people and their families who have struggled with serious emotional disturbances. The video is part of the larger public education campaign CARING FOR EVERY CHILD'S MENTAL HEALTH: Communities Together.
Consumer/Survivor Participation at the World Congress of the World Federation for Mental Health, Finland. With support from CMHS, the following consumers/survivors attended: Donetta Adair, Sylvia Caras, Judi Chamberlin, Larry Fricks, Thomas Liebfried, Joseph Rogers, Gilberto Romero, Joel Slack, Ron Thompson, Celia Brown, Hikmah Gardiner, Linda Andre, and Laura Prescott. A report on their participation will be produced. CMHS Deputy Director Thomas Bornemann, who presented at this conference, commented that it was an "excellent opportunity to bring a very diverse group of international colleagues together under one roof."
Community Mental Health Centers Construction Grant Programs Annual Training Meeting was held this spring. Tom Liebfried, of the National Mental Health Association, spoke from the consumer/survivor perspective on the impact of behavioral healthcare financing reforms.
Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT). A report on ECT will be released imminently. It will include the findings of a CMHS-sponsored consumer/survivor meeting on this topic held earlier this year.
Supported Housing Grants. In the fall, it is anticipated that a total of 12 grants will be awarded from applications submitted earlier this year to research effective approaches of providing supported housing for consumer/survivors.
Community Action Grants. Ten grants will also be awarded to test innovative systems change strategies. A number of consumer/survivor organizations submitted applications.
Criminal Justice Diversion. Fourteen grants will be awarded in this joint CMHS/Center for Substance Abuse Treatment initiative to research strategies to divert consumers/survivors from entering into the criminal justice system.
Children's Mental Health Services. Six to nine grants will be awarded to explore approaches of providing mental health services to children.
HIV/AIDS High-Risk Behavior. Ten grants will be awarded to examine how to reduce high risk behavior which may lead to being infected with HIV/AIDS.
Development of Practice Guidelines. Work continues on developing recommended standards, guidelines and competencies for professionals in managed care environments. Consumer/survivors have been involved in various aspects of this effort.
Parity Study Launched. The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has commissioned a study to analyze the cost of providing mental health insurance coverage that is comparable to coverage provided for general health. The study will also summarize current state mental health parity legislation and the effects on use and costs in states where parity has been enforced. In addition to states, employer health plans with comprehensive mental health and substance abuse services will be examined.
Did You Know?
CMHS Awards Emergency Services and Disaster Relief Grants. The Center has been involved in the awarding and monitoring of $7.2 million to date in 1997 to 15 states to fund direct crisis counseling services to victims of major disasters.
The Employment Intervention Demonstration Program (EIDP), sponsored by SAMHSA/CMHS, is a national research initiative designed to learn how specialized employment services and approaches are able to increase employment, provide cost-effective services, and coordinate with existing community resources and support systems.
The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) Meeting Highlighted Consumer/Survivor Initiatives. NASMHPD included, with support from CMHS, fifteen representatives of the National Association of Consumer/Survivor Mental Health Administrators (NAC/SMHSA) in its recent semi-annual meeting. Currently, about 25 state mental health agencies have offices of consumer affairs.
Anti-stigma Video. On Our Own of Maryland, the state's consumer/survivor organization, is currently producing a CMHS-supported video on the issue of stigma within the mental health system. For more information, contact Anti-Stigma Project Director Jennifer Brown at 1-800-704-0262.
Healthy People 2010. Healthy People 2000, the Nation's prevention agenda, lays out a 10-year plan for improving the health of all citizens. Looking to the future, CMHS and the National Institute of Mental Health are the lead agencies on mental health issues for the next iteration, Healthy People 2010. Ideas and comments from the public will be solicited during the next two years. Beginning in September 1997 a notice will be placed in the Federal Register outlining the framework for Healthy People 2010 and calling for objectives for twenty-five focus areas. A follow-up notice in September of 1998 presenting the first draft of objectives for the year 2010 will appear in the Federal Register for comment. It is anticipated that the list of objectives giving direction to a new decade of striving to improve the health of the Nation will be released in January 2000.
A Guidance for Application for Consumer Technical Assistance Centers. CMHS will release a grant announcement to continue its funding of consumer/survivor self-help technical assistance centers this coming year. A planning meeting will be scheduled to document needs in this area to ensure that the grant announcement adequately addresses consumer/survivor issues.
Consumer Affairs Bulletin
Volume 2, No. 2 Summer 1997
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