After Newtown, I wondered why I did not see any NAMI or mental health news or experts on cable TV news shows sitting next to Gun Control advocates. I looked on the NAMI website and found a lot of press releases. Upon further digging, I found the clip of Michael Fitzpatrick, NAMI Executive Director talking on CNN. Click here. Michael Fitzpatrick talks about the 'broken mental health system', how people can gain access to services and also President Obama weighs in.
MENTAL HEALTH IN GUN PROPOSALS
"early intervention"
"fractured, broken system"
"doesn't meet the needs of people trying to access it or those using it"
"mythology around guns and mental health"
OBAMA'S GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION MEASURES January 28, 2013
OBAMA'S GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION MEASURES January 28, 2013
Mental illness measures
Four of the 23 executive actions that Obama announced on Wednesday address access to mental health care through Medicare and Obamacare.
Medicare is the largest provider of mental health care in the country and the Affordable Care Act opens access to millions of other Americans covered by the federal government.
Another executive action was to open a national dialogue on mental health led by Health Secretary Kathleen Sibelius and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
Obama also clarified that a provision in Obamacare does not prohibit doctors from asking their patients about guns in their homes.
A number of mass shootings have been committed by people known to have struggled with mental illness which has renewed calls to address mental illness in a more comprehensive manner.
Federal legislation restricting access to guns for the mentally ill was firs enacted in 1968.
Would it help?: A number of mental health advocacy groups came out in support of the president's announcement.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness released a statement applauding the initiatives put forth from Vice President Joe Biden's task force, calling it the chance to fix the broken health care system, "an opportunity that comes only once in a generation."
The group also supported that the president "correctly noted" that many of the mentally ill were not violent.
NAMI expressed its hope that the attention could help fill gaps in the mental health system.
FBI statistics showed about 1 percent of applicants who failed a background check were turned down for reasons related to mental health.
1 comment:
Bernice emailed me regarding my last couple of posts. It is very validating. Both Roby + my mother mentioned an aunt, Zaidy's sister who committed suicide. It is on the blog in 2009. The genetic component seems to be on the Sandler side, not the Rutstein side.
"Carol, your last two segments on your blog were wonderful. I vaguely remember hearing about someone in the family committing suicide - there is
so much work needed to accept and treat mental illness."
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