What's Driving Minnesota Governor to Pour Millions for Mental Health?

[Guest guest]

I am sorry that this post is a little late, but it still provides

info as to what is going on with mental health.

john

What's Driving Minnesota Governor to Pour Millions for Mental Health?

ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP)

Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and Accountability

www.ahrp.org

FYI

Dr. Effrem, Pediatricain and Policy Analyst, who is a member of

the AHRP board of directors, as well as on the board of EdWatch, will

be the keynote speaker at a dinner explaining why universal mental

health screeing poses a danger to everyone. You can still purchase

tickets for Dr. Effrem's talk in Minnesota on March 2.

News reports from St. Pioneer Press (below) indicate that

Minnesota governor, Tim Pawlenty " announced Friday a $109 million

plan to improve mental health care in Minnesota by recruiting

psychiatrists, increasing crisis services and encouraging caregivers

to use proven methods of diagnosis and treatment. " The governor

added, " We for too long have overlooked the mental health dilemma in

Minnesota and the United States. "

Our suspicions are understandable given that those who have targeted

American's school children as a market for mental screening and

psychoactive drugs won't even debate the issue in public.

The fact is, there is no evidence of a mental health crisis, as well

no evidence of " proven methods of diagnosis and treatment. "

There are, however, unacknowledged, financial stakes for all involved

in a campaign spreading false and misleading information. Those who

promote the idea that a mental health criis can be fixed by screening

followed by treatment are marketing psychotropic drugs on sheer

speculation about unproven risks of suicide.

Dr. Effrem is investigating the Minnesota programs outlined below,

and will provide more information about the undisclosed risks of

screening.

Public apathy and misplaced trust has allowed our public schools to

become a laboratory for an uncontrolled experiment being conducted on

innocent children. The greatest danger to children's mental health

and well-being is the invasion of children's learning centers by

mental health service providers.

No one has informed parents that TeenScreen's predictability rate is

only 16%!

No one has informed parents that TeenScreens track record is an 84%

false-positive rate!

This makes TeenScreen far less reliable than the flip of a coin.

TeenScreen is designed to increase the number of children

labeled " depressed and suicidal " then prescribed dangerous

psychotropic drugs.

Most psychotropic drugs--including antidepressants--have not been

approved as safe for use in children. They carry black box warnings

a bout inducing mania, violence, and 1 in 50 under 18 year olds

become suicidal.

Mental screening is supported by both Big Government and Big Pharma:

it is spreading like a pandemic.

Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav

212-595-8974

veracare@...

http://www.edwatch.org/updates06/020806-march2.htm

March 2nd EdWatch Event

The Dangers of Universal Mental Health Screening

Legislation in Minnesota

Mental health screening legislation will affect all Minnesota children

in public, private, and home schools.

Be informed. Learn what you can do.

Thursday March 2, 2006

Co-sponsored by The Minnesota Family Council

The Minnesota legislature is considering universal mental health

screening for K-12, pre-school, all kids at least once by age three,

and infants. Mental Health screening is subjective and inaccurate in

children. Diagnoses very often reflect simple behavioral issues or

politically incorrect attitudes and values. Powerful medications with

serious side effects are almost always used as the treatment.

R. Effrem, M.D., Pediatrician and Policy Analyst

Board of Directors of four national organizations:

EdWatch International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and

Psychology

Alliance for Human Research Protection National Physicians Center

Dinner and Presentation

When: March 2nd, 2006

Where: Green Mill Restaurant Plymouth

2705 polis Lane North

www.greenmillplymouth.com

Registration and Dinner: $25

Reservations by Monday, February 27

Special offer for college students -- call our office.

Register: Click here for flyer and registration form

or call EdWatch at 952-361-4931

Time:

6:30 p.m. Social

7:00 p.m. Dinner

7:45 p.m. Program

Background information:

Routine mental health (social & emotional) screening is subjective

and inaccurate in children.

Mental health (social & emotional) diagnoses very often reflect

simple behavioral issues.

Mental health (social & emotional) labels that result from mental

health screening are almost always treated with powerful medications

that have serious side effects.

Many children have been seriously harmed or died from the overuse of

psychotropic drugs, including children whose parents were forced to

use those drugs by the schools.

Mental health (social & emotional) diagnoses have sometimes been the

result of screening for politically incorrect attitudes and values.

Using drugs to control behavior is dangerous and wrong, especially

when study after study has shown these drugs to be ineffective and

dangerous.

Prescriptions for psychotropic drugs for children have increased by

300% in ten years.

Legislation to require universal mental health screening of all

Minnesota children at least once by age three almost passed into law

in 2005.

Register Now

for this important event as the 2006 Legislature convenes.

Invite your teachers, principals, administrators, school board

members of private and public schools and pre-schools to attend.

Invite your home school groups.

Governor Wants to Revamp State's Mental Health Care

BY JEREMY OLSON ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS February 25, 2006

Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced Friday a $109 million plan to improve

mental health care in Minnesota by recruiting psychiatrists,

increasing crisis services and encouraging caregivers to use proven

methods of diagnosis and treatment.

" We for too long have overlooked the mental health dilemma in

Minnesota and the United States, " he said. The three-year plan would

redistribute $60 million that is already committed to mental health

care, but add nearly $50 million from the state's health-care access

fund.

Pawlenty described the mental health system as " cobbled together. "

State Human Services Commissioner Goodno described the system

as often failing to diagnose mental illness, or offer appropriate

treatment for those who are diagnosed. Both officials called for

the " integration " of mental health care -- making physical health

providers more adept at mental health treatment and mental health

providers more aware of the physical needs of their patients.

" There is already integrated care, " Goodno said. " It's just not done

very well. "

In reaction, Rep. Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth, said he was concerned

about using the access fund, which is generated by a tax on health

care providers. He preferred to use that money as it is used

currently, to enroll more low-income Minnesotans in the state's

public health programs.

Much of the governor's plan would require legislative approval.

Huntley also worried that the plan would put private insurers,

instead of individual counties, in charge of state mental health

funds. The plan includes $26.8 million to standardize the mental

health benefits offered by Minnesota's various public assistance

programs, and possibly put private plans in charge of managing those

benefits. The funding would replace $22 million in grants given to

individual counties for mental health services.

The Mental Health Association of Minnesota is being " tentative " in

its reaction, said Meicher, executive director of the advocacy

group. She liked its $17.4 million proposal for school-based mental

health services, but shared concerns about using private health plans

to administer public mental health benefits.

Pawlenty and Goodno said standard statewide benefits would reduce

cases in which treatments are offered in one county but not another.

One problem in Minnesota is the front door to the mental health

system. Often patients in crisis go to emergency rooms, which end up

holding the patients for days as they try to find open psychiatric

beds.

Regions Hospital in St. has had 10 to 16 mentally ill patients

taking up ER beds at the same time because there was no place to move

them. Regions has been forced on some days to divert ambulances to

other hospitals, partly because of this problem, said Dr. Brent

Asplin, medical director of the Regions ER.

" It has really become a crisis for emergency departments all over the

Twin Cities, " he said. " We can't expect our emergency departments to

deliver life-saving emergency care if they are being forced to serve

as our community's inpatient mental health wards. "

Pawlenty's plan would seek to address this problem through an

additional $13.5 million in mental health crisis services.

Other highlights include:

o $7.5 million to recruit caregivers by increasing state payment

rates for mental health services.

o $5.7 million to expand proven methods of outpatient care and

residential treatment.

o $253,000 to create a system that tracks when psychiatric beds are

open or mental health services are available.

o $323,000 to create a system that evaluates mental health caregivers

on their outcomes. Such measurements are already used to evaluate

care of other diseases, such as diabetes.

-----------------

Pawlenty unveils major initiative to improve mental health for

children and adults

NEWS RELEASE February 24, 2006

Gov.Tim Pawlenty has announced $109 million in new and redirected

government investments to transform the way the state provides mental

health services and improve mental health care and treatment for

children and adults.

" Our current mental health care system needs improvement and this

initiative will deliver significant advancements in access, quality

and accountability, " Governor Pawlenty said. " Nearly all of us know

someone touched by the challenges of mental illness. Fortunately, the

negative stigma surrounding mental illness is breaking down as people

recognize it as a health care issue that can be successfully treated.

" Untreated mental illness creates significant and unnecessary human

and economic costs, and tackling this challenge is a key part of

health care reform, " Governor Pawlenty said.

Currently, more than 25 percent of caregivers in the Minnesota Family

Investment Program, the state's welfare system, received a severe

mental health diagnosis within the past three years, while 30 percent

of children in Minnesota's child welfare system suffer from serious

mental health disorders.

Significant transformation of the state's mental health system is

needed to create a new fiscal framework that ensures the most

effective care is being delivered in a timely and efficient manner.

It is also necessary to provide innovative workforce solutions to

ensure an adequate supply of mental health professionals, as well as

coordinate caregiving to improve health and social outcomes for

Minnesotans.

Key elements of Gov. Pawlenty's mental health care initiative

include:

o Adopting a consistent mental health benefit set with proven

treatment across all publicly funded health care programs;

o Requiring that mental health care be integrated with other health

care services and effectively coordinated with social services and

education;

o Simplifying access to treatment, establishing clear lines of

accountability, and evaluating performance based on client outcomes;

and

o Targeting significant investments in mental health infrastructure,

including investing in statewide crisis services, reducing mental

health clinician shortages that prevent access to timely treatment,

increasing best practices, improving services for specialty

populations, and developing performance-based systems of

accountability that focus on client outcomes.

The transformation of mental health services builds on the

recommendations of the Minnesota Mental Health Action Group, an

unprecedented public-private effort to improve health care in the

state. The proposal addresses issues in the current public health

care system, such as the current lack of incentives for early

identification and intervention, as well as many opportunities for

cost shifting and cost avoidance.

In the past, consumers have experienced a fragmented care system with

varying levels of access and care coordination. Health care consumers

with mental illness were often forced to become very sick before they

received appropriate services.

The proposal is funded with $49.5 million from the Health Care Access

Fund and $59 million in redirected investments.

Adopting a consistent mental health benefit set across DHS programs

($26.8 million; offset by $22.8 million redirected adult mental

health grant funds)

The new initiative will create a consistent mental health benefit

package, which includes proven treatments. Participants in

Minnesotas publicly funded health care programs (GAMC,

MinnesotaCare, PMAP) will have access to an effective mental health

benefit set modeled after what currently exists for Medical

Assistance, fee-for-service recipients, providing significant

progress toward reaching the benefit set recommended by the Minnesota

Mental Health Action Group.

Integrating care systems

($32.5 million; offset by $28.4 million redirected state grant funds)

By creating an integrated payment and service model that improves the

coordination between mental health care, physical health care, and

social services, the proposal establishes clear accountability for

performance based on client outcomes. It will also help alleviate the

potential loss of federal funds.

Shore up childrens school-based mental services infrastructure

($17.4 million)

Due to federal regulation changes, a primary funding sources for

these services is being diminished. This investment would pay for

these services for uninsured and under-insured children.

Develop statewide mental health crisis intervention and stabilization

infrastructure as a first-line safety net for children and adults

($13.5 million offset by $8.2 million redirected from increase in

county share for commitments to state operated hospitals)

Mental health crisis services are provided 24/7/365 in a local

community, and are the first line of service for persons who are

experiencing a mental health crisis. This investment would provide

critical services in the community to people who would otherwise need

hospital level of care. It helps alleviate the existing shortage of

psychiatric bed capacity.

Monitor and track availability of mental health services

($253,000)

A statewide, Web-based system will be developed to monitor and track

the availability of mental health services, focusing first on

psychiatric acute care capacity.

Develop and support evidence-based practices

($5.7 million)

Investments in statewide infrastructure and training will focus on

the transformation of local treatment capacity to best practices. The

goal is to provide quality care as measured by standardized

assessment and performance outcomes, so that the very best type of

treatment for each case is ensured.

Address workforce shortages, including psychiatrists and other

critical mental health professionals

($7.5 million)

Today, access to critical mental health services is significantly

limited by shortages of qualified professionals. These funds will

create economic incentives supporting recruitment and retention of

these professional by providing enhanced reimbursement rates for

providers serving a high proportion of public clients.

Develop capacity to address the mental health care needs of specialty

populations

($5 million)

State and county government will need to continue to support access

to treatment for some serious mental health disorders that are not

common enough to be sufficiently supported by other sources. Examples

include eating disorders, co-occurring disorders, culturally specific

treatment needs and attachment disorders. In some cases, these

treatment needs are purchased outside of Minnesota.

Create a system for measuring mental health service outcomes

($323,000)

A Web-based statewide outcomes evaluation system for mental health

services will be designed and implemented to monitor treatment

outcomes and improve care.

Source: St Pioneer Press

Source: Hometownsource

FAIR USE NOTICE

This email contains copyrighted material the use of which has not

always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I am

making such material available in my efforts to advance understanding

of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy,

scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted

material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In

accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this

email is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a

prior interest in receiving the included information

for research and educational purposes. For more information go to:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes

of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission

from the copyright owner.

_______________________________________________