NAMI NEW JERSEY ADVOCACY E-NEWS

June 21, 2010

ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:

1. WHY THE RUSH TO CLOSE HAGEDORN PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL?
2. 76% SAY NO TO CLOSING NJ PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTIONS
3. NJ'S CHILD ADVOCATE NOT IN NEW BUDGET
4. RESEARCH LINKS PARASITE IN CATS TO MENTAL ILLNESSES

*******************************************

WHY THE RUSH TO CLOSE HAGEDORN PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL?

If the Christie administration’s decision to close Hagedorn Psychiatric were a dollars-and-cents issue, it would have made sense to conduct a lengthy study and disclose details to the public. And if this decision were a dollars-and-cents issue, it also would have made sense for a task force to examine which — if any — of the state’s four psychiatric hospitals should close.

But this isn’t a dollars-and-cents issue. Not exclusively, anyway. It involves senior citizens with mental health and other medical problems — one of the most vulnerable populations in New Jersey and elsewhere.

Read the Express Times editorial:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/today/index.ssf/2010/06/opinion_why_the_rush_to_close.html

*******************************************

76% SAY NO TO CLOSING NJ PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTIONS

Gov. Chris Christie’s stormy first five months in office are drawing mixed reviews from New Jersey voters. Voters responding to a Quinnipiac University poll are split on his job performance. But more than three quarters say he should not close psychiatric institutions.

Read the Star Ledger report:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/poll_finds_nj_voters_split_on.html

View the full Quinnipiac poll:
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1284.xml?ReleaseID=1465

*******************************************

NJ'S CHILD ADVOCATE NOT IN NEW BUDGET

Children's rights proponents are urging Gov. Chris Christie to reconsider a proposal to do away with New Jersey's Child Advocate. Christie's proposed $29.3 billion budget does not include $1.3 million to fund the child welfare agency watchdog past June 30. The advocate's office protects the interests of abused and neglected children who have come into contact with state authorities. That includes monitoring foster care homes, juvenile detention centers and mental health services.

See more:
http://cbs3.com/wireapnewsnj/Proponents.urge.NJ.2.1761088.html

*******************************************

RESEARCH LINKS PARASITE IN CATS TO MENTAL ILLNESSES

What microorganism can make mice attracted to cats or make humans more likely to have car accidents or even develop a mental illness like schizophrenia? Host Guy Raz talks with infectious disease researcher Robert Yolken about Toxoplasma gondii and how it might affect human behavior.

Listen to the National Public Radio report:
http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=127955946&m=127955933

Read the transcript:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127955946


  
  


NAMI NEW JERSEY, the State's voice on mental illness, is a statewide coalition of self-help support and advocacy groups composed of families and friends of persons with a serious mental illness. With chapters in all 21 counties we are New Jersey's largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals who have a serious mental illness and their families.


Please distribute this Alert to other advocates for improved mental health services in New Jersey.  If you would like to receive NAMI NEW JERSEY Advocacy Alerts by email, contact Phil Lubitz, Associate Director, at advocacy@naminj.org or by phone (732) 940-0991.
 

 

NAMI NEW JERSEY
1562 Route 130, North Brunswick, New Jersey 08902
Phone:732.940.0991 Fax:732.940.0355
E-mail: info@naminj.org
Web Address: www.naminj.org
Copyright © 2010 NAMI NEW JERSEY - All Rights Reserved