ADVOCACY NEWS FROM NAMI NEW JERSEY:
1. DMHS ANNOUNCES WELLNESS AND RECOVERY ACTION PLAN
2. HOUSE FAILS TO OVERRIDE SCHIP VETO
3. BERGEN REGIONAL DEAF TO PATIENTS' PLIGHT, SUIT
SAYS
4. TAKE ‘IDIOT’ OUT OF CONSTITUTION? IT’S
ON N.J. BALLOT
5. CRISIS MANAGEMENT PROTECTS MENTALLY ILL
6. SENATOR DOMENICI TO RETIRE
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DMHS ANNOUNCES WELLNESS AND RECOVERY ACTION PLAN
The following NJ Division of Mental Health Services Wellness
and Recovery Action Plan is the result of a collaborative
process that actively sought and incorporated recommendations
from consumers and their families, providers and governmental
and non-governmental agencies. This three year plan puts
into action transformational activities in three key areas
that will result in greater opportunities for wellness and
recovery. These are System Enhancements, Data Driven Decision
Making, and Workforce Development.
View the Wellness and Recovery Action Plan:
http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dmhs/Welln_Recov_action_plan_jan2008_Dec2010.pdf
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HOUSE FAILS TO OVERRIDE SCHIP VETO
The U.S. House of Representatives has failed to override
President Bush’s veto of legislation to renew and strengthen
the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
The vote was 273-156, or 13 votes short of the two-thirds
majority needed to override the president’s October
3 veto of the bill.
NAMI will continue to press on a requirement for private
sector SCHIP plans to cover mental illness treatment at
parity with all other medical-surgical benefits.
Read more:
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?
Section=October10&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=52769
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BERGEN REGIONAL DEAF TO PATIENTS' PLIGHT, SUIT SAYS
Thirteen mentally ill patients involuntarily committed
to Bergen Regional Medical Center languished in the hospital's
psychiatric unit for up to a decade, their cases forgotten
and never revisited, according to a whistle-blower lawsuit.
In 2005 Burger discovered a patient in the psychiatric unit
who had been confined involuntarily for 10 years, without
any review by a judge. Burger subsequently found 12 more
patients who had been confined without a hearing for years
and without any review of their case.
Read more:
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0OC
ZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NzIwNTUwOCZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTI
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TAKE ‘IDIOT’ OUT OF CONSTITUTION? IT’S
ON N.J. BALLOT
In about two weeks, New Jersey voters will decide whether
to eliminate insensitive phrasing in the state Constitution
that characterizes people with disabilities as "idiots"
and "insane." The offensive language, adopted
in the constitution in 1844, is aimed at barring people
with limited mental capacity from voting: On Nov. 6, New
Jersey voters will decide whether to replace the wording
in its Constitution.
Read more:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20071019_Take_idiot_out_of_constitution__Its_on_N_J__ballot.html
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CRISIS MANAGEMENT PROTECTS MENTALLY ILL
Collingswood has a special team to respond to people who
appear ill. Its model should be adopted statewide. The CIT
program will improve its response to mentally ill people
acting out in public. It also will provide local officials
with alternatives to locking up the mentally ill. If enough
communities adopt the program, it could divert people from
the penal system who don't need to be there and help reduce
the county jail population. Eventually, freeholders and
municipal officials should ensure that trained officers
are available in every corner of the county.
Read the Courier Post Editorial:
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071018/OPINION/710180324/1046
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SENATOR DOMENICI TO RETIRE
Sen. Pete Domenici, New Mexico's most dominant Republican
voice and longest-serving senator, announced Thursday that
he is retiring at the end of his sixth term because of a
degenerative brain disease. Senator Domenici is best known
to NAMI Advocates for sponsoring mental health parity legislation.
Read more:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,299214,00.html
