Bazelon Center Applauds President's Focus on Mental Health
Administration's Announcement Is A Good First Step, Says Leading Mental
Health Advocacy Group
Washington, DC (April 29, 2002) - President Bush today made important
first steps toward improving access to mental health, according the leading
national legal advocacy organization for people with mental illness and
mental retardation.
"The President should be commended for acknowledging mental health
as a priority for his administration," said Chris Koyanagi, Policy
Director for the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. There is a lot
of work to be done before people who need access to care will feel the
benefits, but we look forward to working on these issues with the Administration."
In a statement in New Mexico today, President Bush said that he would
support legislation requiring private insurers to increase parity
for coverage of mental health services. The President also announced the
formation of his New Freedom Commission on Mental Health to examine the
state of the public mental health system.
The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health is intended to
study the dire state of public mental health systems in America and make
recommendations for solutions. The commission will consist of 15 people,
including top mental health experts from the states and others. Michael
Hogan, the Director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health, will chair
the commission.
"Nobody wants to see another study that just sits on the shelf,"
said Koyanagi. "Fortunately, the commission is headed by a very qualified
individual and should be small enough that it can come up with some workable
solutions to the crises facing public mental health systems."
While there are an estimated 44 million adults with diagnosable mental
disorders, state spending on mental health has plummeted by 30 percent
since 1955 when adjusted for inflation and population growth. State and
federal funding comprised more than half of the $68 billion spent on mental
health services in 1996.
More state psychiatric hospitals were closed in the first half of the
1990s than in the 1970s and 1980s combined. The resources previously allocated
to these institutions were not reinvested in the alternative services
necessary to meet the needs of the same population in the community.
"It is no exaggeration to say that public mental health systems
are on the brink of collapse," said Koyanagi. "Many individuals
with the most serious mental illnesses now receive limited services, or,
in some cases, no services at all."
Mental health advocates are calling for a major overhaul of the system.
Last year, the Bazelon Center released two significant documents on the
subject: Disintegrating Systems, which details the sad state of public
mental health systems; and a model law to address the system's inadequacies.
"Today's announcements by the Administration are an important first
step, but they should not be the last, "concluded Koyanagi. "We
need a fundamental reassessment of the way we look at mental health services
in this country."
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The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is the leading
national legal-advocacy organization representing people with mental illness
or mental retardation. Through precedent-setting litigation and in the
public-policy arena, the center works to define and uphold the rights
of adults and children who rely on public services and ensure them equal
access to health and mental health care, education, housing and employment.
The nonprofit organization is supported primarily by private foundations
and individuals.
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