Jul 22, 2005 09:00 ET

Unprecedented Federal Alignment Announced to Help Provide
People with Mental Illness Opportunity for Recovery

WASHINGTON, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The federal government is
aligning resources in an unprecedented collaborative effort to help ensure that
people with mental illness have every opportunity for recovery. Six cabinet
level departments -- Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban
Development, Justice, Labor, Veterans Affairs and the Social Security
Administration have detailed 70 specific steps in a mental health action agenda
released today.


"Transforming Mental Health Care in America. The Federal
Action Agenda: First Steps" is the beginning of a multi-year effort to alter the
form and function of the mental health system. Also announced today is the
creation of a Federal Executive Steering Committee to guide the work of mental
health system transformation.


In the United States, recovery from mental illness is the
expectation, not the exception. Yet many people with mental illness remain
untreated. They struggle with an illness that affects their minds, their
feelings and their relationships with others. There are approximately 19.6
million adults aged 18 or older (9.2 percent) in the United States with serious
mental illness (SMI). A similar percentage of children -- about 5% to 9% -- have
a serious mental health problem.


"As we approach the 15th anniversary of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, the Action Agenda makes an important contribution for
Americans with mental health-related disabilities," Health and Human Services
Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "The Action Agenda details the initial steps the
federal government is taking to transform the form and function of the mental
health service delivery system in America. HHS and its partners across the
federal government are committed to a shared goal of collaborating to
fundamentally change the way the nation's mental health care system currently
functions."


"The Action Agenda is not a 'quick fix' for the problems that
have ailed the mental health care system for decades. It is a living document
that begins to chart the course for the long term," said Charles G. Curie, M.A.,
A.S.C.W., Administrator of HHS's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), which has lead in the development of the federal action
agenda.


Curie continued, "The public sector is the major financial
driver in mental health care and transformation is a shared responsibility.
Federal agencies must act as leaders, partners, and facilitators. States,
however, will be the centers of action for system transformation. Many have
already begun this critical work. Their leadership in planning, financing,
service delivery and evaluation of consumer and family-driven services will
significantly advance the transformation agenda."


Highlights of the Mental Health Action agenda include:

* Reinforce the message that mental illnesses and emotional disturbances
are treatable and that recovery is the expectation.

* Act immediately to reduce the number of suicides in the nation through
implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, launched
by HHS in 2001.

* Help states develop the infrastructure necessary to formulate and
implement comprehensive state mental health plans that include the
capacity to create individualized plans of care that promote resilience
and recovery.

* Develop a plan to promote a mental health workforce better qualified to
practice mental health care that is culturally sensitive and based on
evidence-based practices in both specialty settings and at the primary
care level.

* Initiate a national effort focused on the mental health needs of
children and promote early intervention with informed parental consent
for children identified to be at risk for mental disorders. Prevention
and early intervention can help forestall or prevent disease and
disability.

* Expand the "Science-to-Services" agenda to develop new toolkits
outlining evidence-based practices for use by providers, administrators,
educators, and consumers.

* Increase the employment of people with psychiatric disabilities.

* Design and initiate an electronic health records and information system
that will help providers and consumers better manage mental health care
and that will protect the privacy and confidentiality of consumers'
health information.

"The reason for the Action Agenda is simple. People with mental disorders have a
vital role to play in our families, our neighborhoods, our communities, and our
country. Their ability to participate fully can no longer be derailed by
outdated science, outmoded financing systems, and unspoken discrimination.
Putting people with mental disorders at the heart of the health care system can
be accomplished through the steps outlined in the Action Agenda," Curie
explained.


Members of the Executive Steering Committee include:

U.S. Department of Agriculture -- Joseph Jen, Under Secretary, Research,
Education and Economics
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services --
Josefina Carbonell, Assistant Secretary Administration on Aging.
Wade Horn, Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and
Families.
Carolyn Clancy, Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Mark A. Safran, Chair, Mental Health Workgroup, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Mark McClellan, Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services.
Elizabeth Duke, Administrator, Health Resources and Services
Administration.
Charles Grim, Director, Indian Health Services.
Thomas Insel, Director, National Institute of Mental Health, National
Institutes of Health.
Charles Curie, Administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration.

Within the HHS Office of the Secretary
Michael O'Grady, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.
Richard Campanelli, Director, Office for Civil Rights.
Margaret Giannini, Director, Office on Disability.
Christina Beato, Acting Assistant Secretary, Office of Public Health
and Science.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development -- Patricia Carlile,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Special Needs Program.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs -- Frances Murphy, Deputy Under
Secretary for Health Policy Coordination.
U.S. Department of Education -- John Hagar, Assistant Secretary.
U.S. Department of Justice -- Regina Schofield, Assistant Attorney
General.
U.S. Department of Labor -- W. Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary for
Disability Employment Policy.
U.S. Department of Transportation -- Jennifer Dorn, Administrator,
Federal Transit Administration.
Social Security Administration -- Martin Gerry, Deputy Commissioner for
Disability and Income Security Programs.

The report is available on the web at http://www.samhsa.gov/, click on mental
health transformation.


SAMHSA, a public health agency within the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, is the lead federal agency for improving the quality
and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental
health services in the United States.


Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration




Stephen Miles Sacks, Ph.D.
Editor and Publisher
SCIPOLICY-The Journal of Science and Health Policy
Box 504, Haverford, PA 19041
Telephone: 610-660-0220
Fax: 610-660-0120
Website: http://Scipolicy.net
E-mail: editor@...
and
Owner/Moderator ResearchEvaluation-L Discussion Group
Owner/Moderator ThePayoff-L Discussion Group
Owner/Moderator Scipolicy-L Discussion Group
Owner/Moderator CounterTerrorism-L Discussion Group


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]