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A Season of Change, Growth & Hope
by Paolo del Vecchio
Spring brings us a time of change, renewal and new beginnings. As I begin my new venture at CMHS in our policy office after four years working in Consumer Affairs, this is an opportune time to reflect on the changes that we all have brought to the work of the Center to improve the lives of consumers/survivors.
We have much to be proud of:
- the recent funding of the $20 million research program investigating the benefits of consumer-operated services;
- the initiation of the CMHS National Advisory Council Subcommittee on Consumer Issues;
the expansion of consumer/survivor technical assistance to support State and local self-help efforts;
- the inclusion of consumer/survivor contributions to the forthcoming Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health;
- the convening of regional consumer/survivor meetings to hear directly from grassroots consumers/survivors;
- the establishment of a policy requiring consumer involvement in all grant applications;
the continued support for state consumer/survivor organizations;
- the development of a range of materials to build consumer/survivor knowledge in such areas as managed care, self-advocacy, trauma, cross-disability issues, the arts, and many others;
the convening of dialogue meetings between consumers/survivors and practitioners such as psychiatrists, psychologists, and others;
- the publication of this newsletter and on-going communication with consumers/survivors;
the initiation of various efforts to address stigma and discrimination including training SAMHSA
- staff and promoting the Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities;
the convening of meetings on such topics as involuntary treatment and electro-convulsive therapy;
- the establishment of a consumer/survivor database on the web site;
- the expansion of CMHS activities in areas such as housing and employment;
- the continued support for the annual Alternatives conference as well as support for consumers/survivors to attend various meetings and conferences;
- the sponsorship of the CMHS Walk the Walk event;
- the nurturing of consumer/survivor networks amongst people of color, older adults, and those who use the Internet;
- and many others.
We have done this together. If it was not for the assistance and collaboration with consumers/survivors across the nation, these advancements would not have occurred. For that, I personally thank you. My sincere appreciation also goes to my CMHS and SAMHSA colleagues and especially to Iris Hyman and, more recently, Carole Schauer for all of their efforts. There is much more to be done. I will continue to work alongside you and other consumers/survivors as we continue this journey. This season of change does bring new opportunities - including the growth of CMHS consumer/survivor activities by the hiring of a new Consumer Affairs Specialist. Let us look forward to this new season as one of renewal, growth and - most importantly - hope.
Consumer Affairs Bulletin
Volume 4, No. 1, Spring 1999
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