Advocacy E-News May 28, 2019
May 28, 2019
GREYSTONE STAKEHOLDERS: NEW REPORT IGNORES ‘ALARMING’ ISSUES AT STATE-RUN HOSPITAL
Despite a new report indicating improved conditions at Greystone Park and other state-run psychiatric hospitals, the principals behind a recent class-action lawsuit say Greystone for several years has been, and still is, “a disaster.” Ann Portas, assistant division director of the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender’s Division of Mental Health, updated family members and legal guardians of patients committed to Greystone about the lawsuit during a “Concerned Families Forum.”
FEDERAL BILL TO ENFORCE MENTAL HEALTH PARITY, HOLD INSURANCE COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE INTRODUCED
U.S. Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Vice-Chair of the Bipartisan Addiction Task Force, along with U.S. Representatives Joe Courtney (CT-02) and Ann Kuster (NH-02), Chair of the Bipartisan Addiction Task Force, introduced the Parity Enforcement Act, H.R. 2848, which expands the U.S. Department of Labor’s authority to hold health insurers and plan sponsors accountable for offering health plans that violate the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. Correcting discriminatory insurer practices is critical to removing the stigma surrounding addiction and increasing access to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorder.
STOP FOCUSING ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF MASS SHOOTERS
In the two decades since the massacre at Columbine High School, digging into the psychology of mass shooters has sadly become an all-too-familiar habit — now something we seem to do almost weekly. This practice is not just a phenomenon of the post-Columbine era of mass shootings. It has its roots in the early 20th century, and it represents an effort to shift blame and find an area of consensus after massacres that could otherwise force uncomfortable conversations. In the process, this practice fosters stigma against one of the most vulnerable groups of Americans: the mentally ill.
CHRISTIE ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH HOMES
Governor Chris Christie announced the expansion of the behavioral health home model, a healthcare hub, that treats physical health, mental health and addiction disorders with an integrated approach. A Behavioral Health Home is an outpatient service that allows participants to have all of their health care needs identified, addressed, and treated in a coordinated way. The same team of clinicians and practitioners either deliver, or coordinate the delivery of, all the necessary medical, behavioral, and social supports required for the individual.
NAMI TO HOST GOVERNOR RICHARD J. CODEY ON APRIL 26 IN WESTFIELD
Hear New Jersey Senator and former Governor Richard J. Codey, a longtime advocate for mental illness; speak on April 26, 2016 at the Union County affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The program begins at 7:30 pm at the American Legion Post, 1003 North Ave., Westfield, New Jersey.
FIND YOUR LOCAL NAMI
