CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News January 15, 2003 Vol. 03-1
_______________________________________________
CMHS: 2002 Year in Review
- 2002 Year in Review -
Consumer Survivor Issues
Discrimination and Stigma
Consumer Affairs Activities
Regional Consumer Meetings
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION CENTER FOR MENTAL
HEALTH SERVICES ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR CONSUMER AFFAIRS
The Center for Mental Health Services'(CMHS) Consumer Affairs activities were
recently relocated within the Associate Director for Consumer Affairs (ADCA)
in the Office of the Director at CMHS. The staff includes the Associate
Director for Consumer Affairs, Paolo del Vecchio, M.S.W., and Consumer Affairs
Specialists Carole Schauer, M.S., R.N., and Chris Marshall. CMHS Consumer
Affairs Specialist Iris Hyman, best known for her work on discrimination and
stigma, retired in 2002 after a distinguished career in Federal service.
In addition to the previous 2002 Year in Review CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
on Regional Consumer Meetings and the CMHS Subcommittee on Consumer/Survivor
Issues, the following E-News highlights the past year's activities of the
consumer affairs staff at CMHS.
Faith and Community Organizations in Dialogue:
On October 28-29 in Baltimore, Maryland, CMHS/ADCA sponsored a dialogue
meeting between Consumer representatives and members of Faith-based and
Community Organizations. The group was unique in its diversity of
faith-traditions---Catholic, Islam, Protestant, Jewish, and Buddhist and
ethnicity and race---Asian-American, African-American, Latino and Caucasian.
Dialogue members identified critical issues that they felt needed to be
addressed by the Federal government, by faith-based and community related
organizations, and mental health providers.
A comprehensive report of the outcomes of this historic meeting is being
prepared and will be available shortly. Stay tuned to the CMHS Consumer
Affairs E-News for the release announcement. For more information please
contact Carole Schauer or Chris Marshall at the contact information provided
below.
Two additional dialogue meetings are planned for 2003, the first meeting will
focus on co-occurring disorders and a subsequent meeting will address criminal
justice issues.
New Freedom Initiative:
CMHS/ADCA continues to provide leadership for the New Freedom Initiative
announced by President Bush on February 1, 2001. The initiative is a
comprehensive plan that directs the Federal government to remove barriers to
equality and community living for people with disabilities. HHS Secretary
Tommy Thompson delivered a Preliminary Report of Federal Agencies' Actions to
Eliminate Barriers and Promote Community Integration to President Bush in
December 2001. On March 25, 2002, Secretary Thompson delivered to the
President reports from the nine agencies participating in the self-evaluation
of program and policy barriers to implementing the Olmstead decision. The
final report offers more than 400 specific solutions that agencies can use to
support community living. The report is available online at
http://www.hhs.gov/newfreedom/final/pdf/hhs.pdf.
SAMHSA staff participates in a number of HHS New Freedom Initiative Solution
Workgroups, including Services for Children in Treatment;
Self-determination/Self-direction and Technical Assistance; and Clarification
of Medicaid Policies Affecting Individuals with Psychiatric and Co-occurring
Disorders. A stakeholder meeting will be held in February 2003 to explore the
feasibility of a self-determination initiative that addresses the needs of
persons with mental and/or substance use disorders. For more information,
please contact Carole Schauer.
Support for Consumer Participation:
CMHS/ADCA supports consumer participation at national and other mental health
meetings. The effort promotes the communication of consumer perspectives
related to mental health policy and program development and implementation to
mental health professionals, policy makers, and State officials. The effort
also provides CMHS with valuable consumer perspectives on current cutting-edge
recovery, treatment, rehabilitation and support services, and emerging trends
and issues in mental health service delivery. In 2002, 153 consumers received
support for participation in seven national meetings. Scholarship availability
for meetings in 2003 will be announced on the CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News.
Presentation for Deaf Mental Health Consumers:
In April 2002, CMHS/ADCA staff delivered a presentation on building
recovery-focused programs and consumer leadership for deaf mental health
consumers. The presentation was made at the seventh BREAKOUT conference, a
meeting that focused on psychosocial rehabilitation services to deaf persons
with mental illness. Please contact Carole Schauer for more information.
Recovering Your Mental Health Booklets:
CMHS/ADCA has released six new booklets in its publication series titled,
Recovering Your Mental Health, developed in collaboration with author,
lecturer, and consumer leader, Mary Ellen Copeland. New titles include
"Building Self-esteem," "Making and Keeping Friends," "Dealing With the
Effects of Trauma," "Developing a Recovery and Wellness Lifestyle," "Speaking
Out for Yourself," and "Action Planning for Prevention and Recovery." This
series grew from the success of the first booklet, Recovering Your Mental
Health: A Self-Help Guide, which offers 32 pages of tips on what consumers can
do to foster their own recovery. For copies of the recovery booklets, call the
SAMHSA National Mental Health Information Center at 1-800-789-2647 or go to
the Web site at
http://www.mentalhealth.org/consumersurvivor/recovery.asp
Restraint and Seclusion:
CMHS/ADCA continues to provide leadership in agency efforts to ensure consumer
protections related to restraint and seclusion. Activities include assistance
with the development of standards for restraint and seclusion practices and
the development of a consumer-based training manual for staff of mental health
facilities that focuses on alternatives to the use of restraint and seclusion.
The manual will be available in the spring of 2003. In addition, SAMHSA/CMHS
Associate Director for Consumer Affairs Paolo del Vecchio participated as a
SAMHSA representative on the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of
Healthcare Organization's (JCAHO) Behavioral Healthcare Professional Technical
Assistance Committee. This body reviews JCAHO standards in such topics as
restraint and seclusion, consumer rights, and various aspects of mental health
treatment. Contact Paolo del Vecchio for more information.
Mental Health of Veterans:
CMHS/ADCA is providing consultation to the Veterans Administration (VA) on
efforts to improve mental health service delivery to the Nation's veterans.
CMHS/ADCA developed a briefing paper on the value of self-help approaches,
leading the VA to initiate efforts in this area. Contact Paolo del Vecchio for
more information.
Cross-Disability Meeting:
In July 2002, CMHS/ADCA convened a meeting of mental health consumers who also
have physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities for the purpose of exploring
educational materials and approaches to meet the needs of these persons.
CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News:
The CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News is a new service from CMHS/ADCA designed to
provide useful news and information in support of the meaningful participation
of mental health consumers and their supporters at all levels in the mental
healthcare system. The focus is on issues that include consumer involvement in
the delivery of treatment and services, efforts to reduce discrimination and
stigma, updates on national, state and local consumer-operated programs,
self-help services, and programs that promote independence and recovery. It
includes news about CMHS sponsored scholarships, updates on the activities of
the CMHS Subcommittee on Consumer/Survivor Issues, efforts to promote
self-determination, and highlights of CMHS grant activities. The E-News also
features related SAMHSA and CMHS policy updates, press releases, grant
announcements, new publication notices, fact sheets, and conference and
meeting notices. To sign up for the CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News go to http://www.mentalhealth.org/consumersurvivor/default.asp.
Please contact Chris Marshall for more information.
CMHS Caucuses at National Meetings:
CMHS/ADCA staff continues to give presentations on CMHS and ADCA activities
and receive public input in caucuses at national meetings. In 2002, CMHS/ADCA
staff participated in caucuses at the National Mental Health Association's
national meeting in Washington, D.C., the annual MHSIP (Mental Health
Statistics Improvement Program) Conference on Mental Health Statistics also in
Washington, D.C., and at the Alternatives Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
History Project:
CMHS/ADCA staff has begun an initiative to support restoration of abandoned
patient cemeteries on state hospital grounds. Throughout the country, many
state hospital's patient cemeteries have been abandoned. The brush has grown
over the graves and the mostly anonymous markers have been damaged and
destroyed. The History Project helps restore many of these sites and attempts
to bring dignity and respect to the individuals who are buried there. The
project includes technical assistance and site visits to the states, the
production of a training and educational video that highlights successful
restoration efforts, a compilation of oral histories from consumers who lived
in state institutions, and the development of a program manual that serves as
a guide to the process and includes information on how to develop housing and
jobs for mental health consumers as a positive outcome from the sale of state
hospital property. Please contact Chris Marshall for more information.
International Mental Health Summit:
CMHS/ADCA is co-sponsoring a summit on mental health reform in Eastern Europe,
Russia, and the New Independent States March 13, 2003 at the Carter Center in
Atlanta, Georgia. The meeting will feature international and national
stakeholders, including mental health consumers, providers, policymakers, and
researchers to address the disturbing regional trend of disappearing resources
for mental health care reform. A report of the meeting will be made available.
Please contact Chris Marshall for more information.
For more information on any of the activities of the office of the Associate
Director of Consumer Affairs, contact ADCA staff at:
Mailing Address:
CMHS/ADCA
5600 Fishers Lane
Parklawn Bldg., Room 15-99
Rockville, MD 20857
Individual Contact Information:
Paolo del Vecchio, M.S.W.
Associate Director for Consumer Affairs
T: 301-443-2619
F: 301-443-5163
Email: pdelvecc@samhsa.gov
Carole Schauer, M.S., R.N.
Consumer Affairs Specialist
T: 301-443-8304
F: 301-443-5163
Email: cschauer@samhsa.gov
Chris Marshall
Consumer Affairs Specialist
T: 301-443-8659
F: 301-443-5163
Email: cmarshal@samhsa.gov
Last Updated on
04/14/04
webmaster@namiscc.org
