Louisiana Resources

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State Mental Health Agency
For more information about admission, care, treatment, release, and patient follow-up in public or private psychiatric residential facilities, contact your State mental health agency:

Dr. Cheryl Bowens-Stephens, Assistant Secretary
Department of Health and Hospitals
Office of Mental Health
Bienville Building
628 North 4th Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: 225-342-2540
Fax: 225-342-5066
Internet: www.dhh.state.la.us/offices/?ID=62

Spanish language assistance available

State Substance Abuse Agency
Contact your State substance abuse agency for information about treatment and care of substance abuse disorders:

Louisiana Office for Addictive Disorders
Bienville Building
628 North 4th Street
P.O. Box 2790, Bin 18
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-2790
Phone: 225-342-6717
Fax: 225-342-3875
E-mail: jbordeln@dhh.la.gov
Internet: www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/?ID=23

Spanish language assistance available

State Protection and Advocacy Agency
Each State has a protection and advocacy agency that receives funding from the Federal Center for Mental Health Services. Agencies are mandated to protect and advocate for the rights of people with mental illnesses and to investigate reports of abuse and neglect in facilities that care for or treat individuals with mental illnesses. These facilities, which may be public or private, include hospitals, nursing homes, community facilities, board and care homes, homeless shelters, jails, and prisons. Agencies provide advocacy services or conduct investigations to address issues that arise during transportation or admission to such facilities, during residency in them, or within 90 days after discharge from them. Contact:

Advocacy Center
1010 Common Street, Suite 2600
New Orleans, LA 70112-2112
Phone: 504-522-2337
Toll-free: 800-960-7705
Fax: 504-522-5507
Internet: www.advocacyla.org

Spanish language assistance available

Family Support
The Center for Mental Health Services awards grants to statewide, family-run networks to provide support and information to families of children and adolescents with serious emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders. For more information, contact:

Louisiana Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
5627 Superior Drive, Suite A-2
Baton Rouge, LA 70816-6085
Phone: 225-293-3508
Toll-free: 800-224-4010
Fax: 225-293-3510
E-mail: info@laffcmh.com
Internet: www.laffcmh.com

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which are part of the Department of Health and Human Services, investigate some complaints about treatment facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding. For further information at the national level, contact:

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
7500 Security Boulevard
Baltimore, MD 21244-1850
Phone: 410-786-3000
Toll-free: 877-267-2323
TDD: 866-226-1819
E-mail: question@cms.gov
Internet: www.CMS.gov

You may also share your concerns with staff at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services office in your area, which is Region 6. The regional office address and telephone number are:

Dallas Regional Office
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
1301 Young Street, Suite 714
Dallas, TX 75202
Phone: 214-767-6423
Fax: 214-767-6400
Internet: www.CMS.gov/RegionalOffices/07_RO6.asp

Advocacy Organizations
Local chapters of Mental Health America (formerly the National Mental Health Association) have information about community services and engage in national and State level advocacy. For more information about the association, write or call:

Yakima Black, Director
Mental Health America of Louisiana
263 Third Street
Suite 103
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Phone: 225-343-1921
Toll-Free: 800-241-6425
Fax: 225-343-1983
E-mail: mhal15@aol.com
Internet: www.MHAL.org

The National Alliance on Mental Illness maintains a helpline for information on mental illnesses and referrals to local groups. The local self-help groups have support and advocacy components and offer education and information about community services for families and individuals. For information about the Alliance's affiliates and activities in your State, contact:

Jennifer N. Jantz, Executive Director
NAMI Louisiana
P.O. Box 40517
Baton Rouge, LA 70835
Phone: 225-926-8770
Toll-free : 866-851-6264
Fax: 225-926-8773
E-mail: namilouisiana@bellsouth.net
Internet: www.namilouisiana.org

Meaningful Minds of Louisiana
1345 West Willow Street, #13
Lafayette, LA 70506
Phone: 225-292-6928
Toll-free: 888-886-6882
E-mail: info@meaningfulmindsla.com
Internet: http://meaningfulmindsla.com

The National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse, funded partly by the Center for Mental Health Services, promotes and helps to develop consumer-run self-help groups across the country. Technical assistance and materials are available on such topics as organizing groups, fundraising, leadership development, incorporating, public relations, advocacy, and networking. For more information, contact:

The National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
1211 Chestnut Street, Suite 1207
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215-751-1810
Toll-free: 800-553-4KEY (539)
Fax: 215-636-6312
E-mail: info@mhselfhelp.org
Internet: www.mhselfhelp.org

The National Empowerment Center is a Technical Assistance Center run by mental health consumers/survivors. The Center's mission is to carry a message of recovery, empowerment, hope and healing to people who have been diagnosed with mental illness. The Center provides information and referrals to consumer/survivor resources nationwide and offers technical assistance to individuals and groups involved in consumer empowerment activities. The Center distributes recovery-related publications and sponsors education and training activities. For information on consumer/survivor activities in your area, contact:

The National Empowerment Center
599 Canal Street
Lawrence, MA 01840
Phone: 978-685-1494
Toll-free: 800-769-3728
Fax: 978-681-6426
E-mail: info4@power2u.org
Internet: www.power2u.org

The Consumer Organization & Networking Technical Assistance Center (CONTAC), funded by the Center for Mental Health Services, is a resource center for consumers/survivors and consumer-run organizations across the United States. Services and products include informational materials; on-site training and skill-building curricula; electronic and other communication capabilities; networking and customized activities promoting self-help, recovery, leadership, business management, and empowerment. For more information contact:

Consumer Organization & Networking Technical Assistance Center (CONTAC)
P.O. Box 11000
Charleston, WV 25339
Phone: 304-345-7312
Toll-free: 888-825-TECH (8324)
Fax: 304-345-7303
E-mail: usacontac@contac.org
Internet: www.contac.org

Other Sources of Information
There are many sources of information that you can tap. Your area mental health authority, which is generally a part of the local government, may be useful. Other branches of your city or county government also may be able to help. For example, the education office might have information about help for children, and the agency for the aging might know about services for senior citizens. In addition, your family physician or area hospital may be able to make referrals. For legal advice, contact your local bar association or go to www.findlegalhelp.org. Also, your local library and telephone yellow pages may have resource lists for sources of help in your community.

SRG-LA
01/07