A Million Things to do This Weekend

Okay....One Million and One:

Important (and Free) Mental Health Info Event April 30

Mental Health is part of Health.
There has been a lot of discussion "post-Newtown"  about mental health. (Quote marks are because there is some discussion about not tainting the place name and instead calling the event "December 14th" but I am unsure if this is a movement by realtors to preserve property values or actually a true sentiment of the victim's families.)

Anyway, on April 30th, to kick off Mental Health Month, The Milford Prevention Council and Cachement Area Council 6 (part of the CT Dept of Mental Health and Addiction Services) are hosting an event at the Milford Public Library - and it is free. (also: Free parking behind the Library, bus stop nearby from Stratford and beyond and from New Haven - walking distance from Milford MetroNorth train station.)

Milford Library
57 New Haven Avenue
Tuesday, April 30
6:30 – 8 pm. 

To kick off May is Mental Health Month
The Region II Regional Mental Health Board CAC 6 and The Milford Prevention Council will sponsor an event “Celebrating Good Health, Wellness and Mental Health”
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Speakers include Michael Sernyak, M.D., CEO of the Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven, who will discuss the “health” crisis in mental health and how overall wellness can address it. 

Additional speakers will discuss community support systems for people with mental illness. 

Photographs by members of Bridges’ Young Adult Services program will be displayed, and handcrafted items such as jewelry and pillows from the Young Adult Services store, “Metamorphosis,” will be available for purchase. 

The discussion is open without charge to the public.  Refreshments served.

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The Milford Prevention Council is a coalition of community professionals working together to prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth.  Community mental health and substance abuse treatment programs in Milford, West Haven and Orange comprise the Region II Regional Mental Health Board CAC 6. 

Mental Health - Informative OP ED

I am reprinting this in full because it is long and complex. It was sent to me by a friend who is active in Mental Health and Addiction Services work. Normally I try to give a link and only extract a paragraph or two, for copyright reasons and to redirect to the original source. In this case, Sue Me.

I actually got a cup of coffee and sat in quiet to read the whole piece, since it gives background and history that is helpful knowledge as we continue to discuss all solutions and variables to working forward. 

My take-away is the need or better services for children and youth. But then again, that is always my take-away. ...Or Leftovers, when it involves a good restaurant!

OP-ED from The Hartford Courant

Forced Mental Health Treatment Wrong

By JANET VAN TASSEL |  January 7, 2013
In the past month there have been numerous thoughtful recommendations for improving the state's mental health system, and Connecticut is, from a policy perspective, well-positioned to implement most of these proposals.

Since the Report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Mental Health was issued in July 2000, the state has pursued evidence-based practices and become a national leader in promoting a community-based, family- and consumer-oriented system of care.

Unfortunately, many of these innovative measures have been funded through federal grants that are limited in scope and time, or hampered by state budget constraints that have prevented their full implementation. In addition, funding for private nonprofit agencies that provide many community supports and services has not kept pace with state-operated counterparts. In short, Connecticut has the programmatic building blocks to construct the comprehensive community-based system of care it promised when state hospitals were closed, but not the resources to support it.

For example, it is well-documented that supportive housing is a cost-effective way to provide a stable living arrangement for families and individuals with mental illness, which reduces hospital expenditures and promotes self-sufficiency. However, despite recent investments by the state, housing subsidies fall well below the demand, forcing vulnerable people into shelters, and leaving discharge-ready people in expensive state hospital beds. Similarly, a federally supported initiative to expedite Social Security disability applications for people with mental illness is understaffed, and people with mental illness are being released from the state Department of Correction facilities are homeless.

Funding to expand school-based clinics and programs for children an youth have been cut, as the number of homeless youth rises. And despite a mental health parity law, private insurers routinely deny claims for mental health treatment services, particularly for children.
Although Connecticut has been recognized as having one of the best mental health systems in the country, accessing services and supports is still a futile effort for many. In fact, persons with mental illness routinely seek legal services because their services have been denied, reduced or terminated by agencies with limited funds.

Given this context, it is troubling that legislative proposals to authorize involuntary outpatient treatment for persons with mental illness have again been raised. The appeal of such a measure, which on its face sounds eminently reasonable, is understandable. However, it is fraught with complexities, starting with the fact that determining whether a person who is not currently a danger to self or others or gravely disabled, but is "potentially dangerous" is not straightforward. There is no system for identifying persons who might be dangerous, and violent behavior is not linked to a psychiatric diagnosis.

Because a forced medication or treatment law would restrict the fundamental civil rights of people with mental illness, there are questions about whether it would violate Connecticut's constitutional protections for these individuals. Certainly, it would require an enforcement system and court proceedings comparable to those used in New York, which cost more than $32 million per year. Consequently, it would be very costly, and use money that would be better spent on community services.

A Task Force Report on Issues Related to Involuntary Outpatient Commitment and Alternatives, which was issued in January 1997, rejected outpatient commitment and recommended specific alternative measures which were subsequently pursued by the state. Last year, the Judiciary Committee had a full hearing on similar legislation, which was opposed by groups as diverse as state agencies, psychologists and police officers, and rejected by the committee. This is the time to invest the state's limited resources into constructing a comprehensive system of screening, services and housing supports for children, youth and adults with mental illness rather than pursue a course that would divert funds from the real problem. It is the wrong tool for Connecticut.

Janet Van Tassel, a lawyer, is executive director of the Connecticut Legal Rights Project and founder and co-chairwoman of the Keep the Promise Coalition.

Copyright  2013, The Hartford Courant

In conclusion: Thanks for reading this.