On the CMHS Front
Brief Updates on Various Activities
Community Action Grants. On Sept. 30, 1997, CMHS launched the Community Action Grant Program to assist state and community groups in adopting "exemplary" mental health practices. Twenty new one-year grants of up to $150,000 were awarded.
Criminal Justice Diversion Program. CMHS and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) have collaborated on a criminal justice diversion program to evaluate the relative effectiveness of a variety of pre- and post-booking police and criminal justice intervention models for individuals with co-occurring serious mental illness and alcohol or other drug use disorders. This is a three-year, multi-site study including a coordinating center, a technical assistance center and nine study sites.
Involuntary Intervention and Coerced Treatment of People with Mental Health Disorders Meeting. Twenty-eight people representing a broad spectrum of roles including consumer/survivor, family, researcher, provider, and managed health care organization official participated in a two-day meeting in Washington, D.C. Consumers/survivors participants were John Basham, Ky.; Jean Campbell, Ph.D., Mo.; Daniel B. Fisher, M.D., Ph.D.; J. Rock Johnson, J.D., Neb.; Tom Leibfried, Va.; Ron Thompson, Md.; Laura Van Tosh, Md. and Rae Unzicker, S.D. The group discussed issues ranging from laws and policy to ethics and outcomes.
Survey of Self-Help Activities Contract. This fall, CMHS awarded a contract to Chilton Associates, Inc. who will be working with consumer/survivor sub-contractors to conduct a full-scale survey of self-help groups and organizations run by and for consumers/survivors and families of people with serious psychiatric disabilities. The project will estimate the number of such entities and describe the activities, organization and funding, the approach to well-being and recovery, linkages to the traditional mental health and other service delivery systems and characteristics of group participants.
Forum on the Mental Health Needs of Older Adult Consumers. The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, with CMHS support, is planning a meeting to bring consumers/survivors and advocates together to lay a foundation for a consumer-driven mental health and aging coalition. The event is scheduled for this spring in Washington, D.C.
Cooperative Agreements to Evaluate Housing Approaches for Persons with Serious Mental illness. This $2.4 million grant is to conduct an evaluation study that examines the effectiveness of different housing approaches for persons with serious mental illness.
Confidentiality and the Appropriate Use of Health Information. The Thirteenth Annual Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy with support from CMHS met this fall to explore the issue of confidentiality and appropriate use of health information. The participants examined the topic from the perspectives of diverse stakeholders in order to: 1) identify current dilemmas and competing interests in the collection, transfer, storage, and utilization of mental health data, and 2) identify potential remedies and recommendations to address these concerns, achieving consensus among diverse stakeholders, where possible.
Resiliency - Topic of Discussion. The CMHS Division of Program Development, Special Populations and Projects sponsored a meeting in December designed to offer guidance for future activities on the topic of resiliency. This strength-based approach is gaining increased interest. Consumer/survivor meeting participants included J. Rock Johnson and Mary Auslander.
Laura Van Tosh Joins the Information Center. SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center has appointed Laura Van Tosh as their new Managed Care Coordinator.
Second National Consumer, Family, and Advocate Leadership Conference on State Health Care Reform and Managed Care. The conference, developed by the National Managed Care Consortium in partnership with CMHS, was held in Timonium, Md., in October. The many workshops given built on and expanded the foundation of networks and expertise and expanded the knowledge and skills of all participants.
Day-long Self Advocacy Training. At the American Public Health Association Conference held this fall in Indianapolis, Ind., Paolo del Vecchio, CMHS consumer affairs specialist and other consumers/survivors offered an all-day self advocacy training featuring such subjects as making grievance procedures work, being peer advocates, providing ombudsmen services and making use of the media.
National Conference on Women: Cycles, Challenges and Changes: Making A Difference in the Lives of Women, their Families, and Their Communities. SAMHSA's first-ever women's conference was held this fall in Phoenix, Ariz. It drew more than 600 service providers, clinicians, program administrators, state and local health authorities, academicians, government representatives and consumers of treatment and prevention services from throughout the United States and neighboring countries. Participants attended the agenda-setting forum held to improve service delivery, share best practices, stimulate consultation and networking, and renew commitment to women's issues within the substance abuse and mental health fields. For an in-depth review of the conference, contact the Information Center, see "Where to Turn," page 10, for a copy of the SAMHSA News, Fall 1997 edition.
Did You Know?
Consumer-operated Self-help Programs to be Studied. SAMHSA/CMHS announced the availability of funds for a program study designed to enhance knowledge about how consumer-operated self-help programs contribute to the rehabilitation and recovery of individuals with serious mental illness. The Guidance for Applicants (GFA) solicits applications for two types of cooperative agreements; study sites and a coordinating center. Contact the Information Center see "Where to Turn," page 10 for detailed information on the GFA.
Consumer Affairs Staff to Convene Regional Consumer Meeting in Atlanta. This spring along with local consumer/survivor hosts, the CMHS consumer affairs staff will meet with consumers/survivors from the southern region for a one-day meeting to identify needs, issues and concerns of mental health recipients in this area of the nation. This is the first in a series of regional consumer/survivor planning meetings being planned during 1998. For more information, contact: Iris Hyman at (301) 443-9824.
Report of the Surgeon General on Mental Health. CMHS will lead development of the first Surgeon General's Report to focus exclusively on mental health. In partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health, CMHS will engage a number of participants from diverse backgrounds and organizations in various stages of preparation of the report over the next 24 months. Information regarding the Report of the Surgeon General on Mental Health may be accessed after March 1, 1998, through the Information Center, see "Where to Turn" page 10.
Consumer Focus Group Meeting. Invited consumers/survivors from around the nation met in December at a meeting to identify the needs of mental health consumers for information, training and knowledge development in order to support self-help activities. The results of the meeting, sponsored by the CMHS Community Support Branch, Division of Knowledge Development and Systems Change, and the CMHS consumer affairs staff will be used by CMHS in designing future pertinent activities.
Consumer-Psychologist Dialogue Meeting. Plans are underway to hold a meeting between invited consumers and psychologists to explore means of partnership-building. This is a follow-up to the successful consumer-psychiatrist meeting held last summer.
CONSUMER AFFAIRS BULLETIN
Vol. 3, No 1, Winter 1997
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