Advocacy

Updated on 04.08.2004

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Mental Health Advocacy (click on underlined link for full story)

	May, 2002, testimony submitted by NAMI Board President Jim McNulty on behalf of NAMI to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies.
	The health care crisis along the U.S. border with Mexico.
	Support Coalition International comments on the National Commission on Correctional Health Care Draft Proposals for health care standards.
	Every morning, hundreds of mentally ill and emotionally disturbed teen-agers wake up in juvenile detention centers and juvenile jails across the United States to spend another day locked up and isolated from the help they need....
	The Bush Administration has proposed a Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability Demonstration Initiative - Bazelon Analysis.
	Rights for those diagnosed with mental disabilities.
	Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) Fall Through the Cracks in Mental Health Care.
	NAMI Legislative papers - summarizes NAMI positions on current federal legislation.

	Bazelon Center legislative alerts - while Congress is on recess, contact your representatives regarding mental health legislation, such as mental health parity, access to appropriate mental health care for children, special education, and jail diversion programs for mentally ill offenders. Note: some survivor groups voice concerns about these bills.
	The House of Representatives, on August 3, 2001, approved a modified version of a bipartisan patients' bill of rights that would create new federal rights for millions of Americans enrolled in managed care plans, after revising the legislation to limit lawsuits against insurance companies.
	On June 28, a bipartisan coalition of House members led by Jim Greenwood(R-PA) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) introduced HR 2363, legislation that would establish regional consumer-run support centers to assist States, HMOs and other entities involved in the development of peer-support activities.
	As part of legislation covering the FY 2002 budget for the U.S. Department of Justice, the Senate Appropriations Committee has proposed allocating $5 million for a new program to support local "Mental Health Courts" to divert non-violent offenders with severe mental illness out of the criminal justice system. Consumer's express some concerns about these courts.
	U.S. Department of Health & Human Services releases guidance on patient privacy standards.
	Some states still bar certain mentally ill patients from voting - this Maine decision strikes down such a provision in their state constitution.
	It is illegitimate to postulate an underlying disease entity just because mental disorders may seem unintelligible. .... Psychiatric assessment too often fails to appreciate personal and social precursors of schizophrenia." - Duncan Double

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Opinions expressed in this web site do not necessarily reflect the views of NAMI Santa Cruz County, NAMI California or any affiliated organizations. We attempt to present a balanced perspective on issues by presenting multiple viewpoints.

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