STOP the Mental Health-Child Psychiatry Industry From Diverting Public Funds

January 7, 2006

From: " Cassandra Casey " <israelswarrior@...>

cg168@...

Subject: STOP the Mental Health-Child Psychiatry Industry From Diverting

Public Funds

Date: Sat, 07 Jan 2006 01:18:58 -0700

Ms. Galanter,

You're kidding, right? We don't need more child psychiatrists and mental

health care workers. We need LESS. As a hard-working tax paying citizen

of the United States I will absolutely NOT stand by and watch as more of my

tax dollars support such an absurd bill.

You can be sure I will be alerting all mothers and fathers across this

nation (especially those in New York) to call on January 10th and make sure

Senator Schumer and all sponsers of this bill hear our voices. The

President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health is an ill conceived

plan.

Hurricane Katrina victims need housing and jobs, not " treatment " .

Our children need guidance and nurture and security, not " treatment " .

And, a " loan forgiveness " plan? Isn't that a sweet deal..... How about

IRRESPONSIBLE? !!

Yes, Ms. Galanter - there are many out there who just can't see things the

way you do.

Cassandra Dawn Casey

A Mother in Utah

Advocating for the mental health needs of children

Hello, I hope some of you will take a few minutes to help out with a

critical issue effecting the mental health case of children.

As you may know, there is a l national shortage of child and adolescent

psychiatrists and other children's mental health professionals You can help

remedy this by voicing your support for the Child Health Care Crisis Relief

Act, H.R.1106/S. 537 on January 10th.

I am including more information about the bill and about what you might do

to help bellow. The email was originally sent to child psychiatrists but I

think it is applicable to all of us.

Thanks! Cathryn

Cathryn Galanter, M.D.

Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry

Columbia University

Division of Child Psychiatry

1051 Riverside Drive

Unit 78

New York, New York 10032

phone: (212) 543-5290

fax: (212) 543-5966

Private Practice:

25 Central Park West

Suite 1U

New York, New York 10023

(212) 581-9053

...........................................................................

............................................................

On January 10, all NYC residents are asked to contact their House

representative and Sen. Schumer (D-NY) to request their cosponsorship

(support) for the AACAP's priority workforce shortage legislation, the Child

Health Care Crisis Relief Act, H.R.1106/S. 537.

We appreciate the support of Sen. Clinton (D-NY), who has already signed on

as a cosponsor.

The Child Health Care Crisis Relief Act will address the critical national

shortage of child and adolescent psychiatrists and other children's mental

health professionals by creating education incentives to encourage

recruitment into these fields. For child and adolescent psychiatry training

programs, the legislation would extend Medicare graduate medical education

(GME) funding support for two years after general psychiatry, and create a

loan forgiveness program for use by child and adolescent psychiatry

trainees.

On January 10, we are calling on all AACAP members in New York City to call

1-202-224-3121 to reach the Capitol Switchboard, and ask for your House

Representative or Sen. Schumer's office. If you do not know who your

representative is, give your zip code. When connected to each office, ask

for the Health Legislative Assistant. If you leave a voicemail message,

include your name and phone number.

A sample message is as follows:

" I am a practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist (psychologist, citizen

interested in the heath of children, etc) from (your town), and I am calling

to urge Rep. _______ (or Sen. Schumer) to cosponsor the Child Health Care

Crisis Relief Act, S. 537/ H.R. 1106, sponsored by Sens. Bingaman and

, and Reps. Kennedy and Ros-Lehtinen. This legislation will help New

York children and their families gain access to treatment by increasing the

numbers of children's mental health professionals.

Many communities around the country are facing a greater need for mental

health services in the wake of Hurricane Katrina at a time when there is a

severe shortage of specialists trained to treat children and adolescents.

Please contact Bruce Lesley in Sen. Bingaman's office (or Mike Zamore in

Rep. Kennedy's office) to cosponsor this important legislation. "

Please pass this e-mail on to your mental health colleagues. This bill

increases the workforce for other mental health clinicians too!

Here are some additional talk points to guide you in your advocacy:

The most important points you can make are about your own experiences

treating children and adolescents, how severe the shortage and other access

problems are in your community, and how this affects children and families

in your state. If you have a waiting list in your practice, this is a good

indicator of a shortage.

The Surgeon General, the NIMH, and the President's New Freedom Commission on

Mental Health have all recognized under-identification and the lack of

treatment of mental illness in children and adolescents as a major problem.

The Surgeon General reported in 1999 that only 20% of

children and adolescents in need of treatment for mental illnesses get it.

Kids that do not receive treatment for mental illnesses are at high-risk for

school failure, substance abuse and entrance into the juvenile justice

system.

Please e-mail the AACAP Dept. of Government Affairs & Clinical Practice at

Nmoore@... when you have made your contact.

You may visit the AACAP website at www.aacap.org to find your House

representative. If you have any questions or need more information, please

call Nuala , Deputy Director of Government Affairs, at 800.333.7636, x.

126, or e-mail nmoore@...

Thank you for your efforts in support of child and adolescent psychiatry!

January 7, 2006