Hogg Foundation for Mental Health News and Grants
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
May, 2011
HOGG FOUNDATION
Fighting Mental Illness: A Call to Action for Foundations
Health Affairs
April 27, 2011
... The Austin, Texas, integration initiative, called E-Merge, originally funded in 2001 by a three-year grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, is an ongoing integrated care initiative of Travis County's community mental health provider and federally qualified health center network. In it, mental health providers in community health centers work side-by-side with primary care practitioners. (Here is a link to a webpage showing the Hogg Foundation's work over the years in the area of integrated health care.)
http://healthaffairs.org/blog/2011/04/27/fighting-mental-illness-a-call-to-action-for-foundations/?cat=grantwatch
Counseling Center Program Earns Houston 'Best Community' Status
Out Smart Magazine
May 1, 2011
Representatives from Montrose Counseling Center have announced that MCC's Safe Zones Project was cited as the chief reason Houston and Harris County were selected as one of the 100 Best Communities for Youth by America's Promise Alliance. ... "I am profoundly grateful that an organization as important as the Ima Hogg Foundation for Mental Health was willing to fund this program," commented Deb Murphy, youth coordinator for HATCH, MCC's group for LGBT youth.
http://outsmartmagazine.com/2011/05/counseling-center-program-earns-houston-%E2%80%98best-community%E2%80%99-status-2/
82nd LEGISLATIVE SESSION
House votes to disband scandal-plagued Texas Youth Commission
Dallas Morning News
April 29, 2011
AUSTIN - The agency at the center of a sex scandal involving youth lockups is a step closer to being disbanded. The House and Senate have both passed a bill to merge the Texas Youth Commission and the Juvenile Probation Commission to focus on community-based supervision and treatment programs and reserve the lockups for the most violent offenders.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/texas-legislature/headlines/20110429-house-votes-to-disband-scandal-plagued-texas-youth-commission.ece
Children's Hospitals Face Brunt of Medicaid Cuts
Texas Tribune
May 2, 2011
... Despite some efforts to lessen the blow to pediatric health care providers, Texas' proposed budget cuts will likely have a disproportionate effect on children's hospitals, which treat the state's youngest and poorest patients.
http://www.texastribune.org/texas-taxes/2011-budget-shortfall/childrens-hospitals-face-brunt-of-medicaid-cuts/
Centralized truancy courts step closer to reality
Houston Chronicle
May 2, 2011
A proposed state law to create centralized truancy courts in certain large counties has cleared the House at the 82nd Texas Legislature.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7546638.html
Lawmakers chafe as push continues to privatize prison health care
Austin American-Statesman
April 30, 2011
Efforts by private companies to get a piece of Texas' nearly $1 billion prisoner health care system are quietly continuing behind the scenes as company representatives make sales pitches to lawmakers and seek changes in state law to authorize privatization.
http://www.statesman.com/news/statesman_focus/lawmakers-chafe-as-push-continues-to-privatize-prison-1445569.html
Another way to tap the rainy day fund?
Austin American-Statesman
May 2, 2011
Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, floated a proposal this morning to put an additional $3 billion of rainy day fund into the budget bill that will pay for the deficit in the current year.
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2011/05/02/another_way_to_tap_the_rainy_d.html
TEXAS NEWS
Texas attorney general supports guardians for mentally impaired jail inmates
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
April 30, 2011
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott told Tarrant County officials in an opinion this week that local courts do not have the authority to bypass appointing a guardian for mentally impaired jail detainees who refuse to take medication.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/29/3038846/texas-attorney-general-supports.html#tvg
New rules allow homeless people with disabilities to sit on sidewalks
Austin American-Statesman
April 30, 2011
A 6-year-old ordinance aimed at keeping the homeless from lingering in front of downtown shops, homes and bars now makes exceptions for people with disabilities. Starting today, new rules that allow people with physical or mental disabilities to sit or lie on the sidewalk for up to 30 minutes go into effect.
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/new-rules-allow-homeless-people-with-disabilities-to-1445627.html?cxtype=rss_ece_frontpage
Hospitals provide millions of dollars of free care to needy, but taxpayers, others share burden
Austin American-Statesman
April 30, 2011
... After the federal health care law was approved last year with future provisions that will lower government payments to hospitals, Central Health - the taxing authority that funds health care programs for the needy - calculated for the first time just how much taxpayer money was used to reimburse local hospitals for caring for uninsured patients and for those covered by government programs, including Medicaid. The analysis underscored the extent of unreimbursed care in the community and who pays for it.
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/hospitals-provide-millions-of-dollars-of-free-care-1447260.html
Suburban Texas grows, but population center is pure country
Dallas Morning News
May 2, 2011
... Texas added 5 million people from 2000 to 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost all of it around Dallas and the state's other large cities and the Rio Grande Valley.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20110502-suburban-texas-grows-but-population-center-is-pure-country.ece
Alternatives to Abortion insulated from state cuts to mental health, Medicaid
The American Independent
April 29, 2011
Whether the final state budget looks more like the Spartan version passed by the state House or the less-austere bill struggling in the Senate, Texas mental health care providers are bracing for significant cuts. Family planning dollars are also uncertain, with the Senate looking to spare what the House has gutted. Enjoying a relatively safer harbor, however, is the state's Alternatives to Abortion Services Program, which pays nonprofits to provide 'counseling/mentoring' to pregnant women, with the goal of reducing the number of abortions
http://www.americanindependent.com/181560/alternatives-to-abortion-insulated-from-state-cuts-to-mental-health-medicaid
Crossroads lacks much-needed suicide support group, survivor says
Victoria Advocate
April 30, 2011
...The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 76 suicides between 2000 and 2007 in Victoria County, the most recent figures available. For Contreras-Glover, the pain goes far beyond mere numbers, and, in the Crossroads, no group offers support. ...For her, what's more depressing now is the lack of community support for suicide survivors and the victims left behind from a loved one's suicide.
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2011/apr/30/jo_victoria_suicide_050111_136757/?news&calhoun-county
NATIONAL NEWS
Depressed teens mostly struggle alone
Los Angeles Times
April 29, 2011
Some 2 million Americans adolescents experienced a bout of major depression last year, but only about a third of them got any help in dealing with the sadness, irritability, anxiety, guilt and loss of interest and energy that are the hallmarks of such episodes, a report says. The new findings, tallied by the federal government's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, were issued Thursday to kick off a month of national activity aimed at raising awareness of childrens' mental health.
http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-depressed-20110428,0,3658610.story
Reducing claims seen as key to curbing health care costs
Eastern Iowa Business
May 1, 2011
Without change, the Business Roundtable, an association of major U.S. corporate CEOs, predicts employer health care costs will increase 166 percent by 2019, resulting in a cost burden of $28,530 per employee - almost triple the 2009 employee cost of $10,743. As Corridor employers look to curb rising health care costs, reducing the number of insurance claims through prevention, healthier lifestyles and financial incentives are high on their lists.
http://easterniowabusiness.com/2011/05/01/reducing-health-care-use-seen-as-key-to-curbing-premiums/
NV panel holds votes on prickly mental health cuts
San Antonio Express News
April 30, 2011
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) - Lawmakers voted to preserve a program that would help keep mentally handicapped people at home with their families, but they held off on the most controversial items of a touchy, $617 million mental health budget during a weekend meeting.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/NV-panel-holds-votes-on-prickly-mental-health-cuts-1359861.php
Death penalty off table in Napa hospital killing
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
April 30, 2011
NAPA, Calif. (AP) - Prosecutors say they will not seek the death penalty against a psychiatric patient charged with murder in the death of a nurse at a California mental hospital.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/30/3039731/death-penalty-off-table-in-napa.html
HEALTHCARE REFORM
Medicare's Math Problem: Taxes - Benefits = Trouble
National Public Radio
April 30, 2011
...How did the current system become so unbalanced? It has to do, Steuerle says, with the way Medicare was built to work - by passing on an individual retiree's health care costs to the wide pool of current taxpayers. There are more and more people entering the Medicare system. Those people live increasingly longer lives. And most importantly, Steuerle says, no one is in charge of saying "no" to medical-cost inflation. The result is a Medicare system that only pays for one third of itself. The shortfall is made up - in part - from other sources of revenue.
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/30/135844222/medicares-math-problem-taxes-benefits-trouble
Proposal for Medicare Is Unlike Federal Employee Plan
The New York Times
May 1, 2011
WASHINGTON - House Republicans say their budget proposal would make Medicare work just like the health insurance that covers federal employees, including members of Congress. But a close examination shows the two plans are very different, and the differences help explain why the Republican plan has set off a political uproar. Under the federal employees' health plan, which covers eight million people, the government pays a fixed share of premiums. So the federal contribution generally keeps pace with rising premiums, which in turn reflect rising health costs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/health/policy/02medicare.html?ref=health
At Least 600,000 Young Adults Join Parents' Health Plans Under New Law
Kaiser Health News
May 1, 2011
Hundreds of thousands of young adults are taking advantage of the health care law provision that allows people under 26 to remain on their parents' health plans, some of the nation's largest insurers are reporting. That pace appears to be faster than the government expected.
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2011/May/01/young-adult-health-insurance-coverage.aspx
OPINIONS
Texas' goal should be to fix healthcare system, not just spend less on it
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
April 30, 2011
Texas and Vermont don't have much in common, especially on healthcare, but leaders in both states are proposing a takeover of Medicare and Medicaid. They want to control the federal dollars spent on these programs, arguing that they can do a better job of reducing costs and responding to the public. That's where the similarities end.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/30/3039014/texas-goal-should-be-to-fix-healthcare.html
Criminal cuts at the jail: State and county budget cuts put inmates in a tough spot - particularly the mentally ill
Houston Chronicle
May 1, 2011
The Harris County Jail is the largest public provider of care for the mentally ill in Texas. Thanks to expected draconian cuts in state funding for community-based treatment, its role is likely to get a whole lot bigger soon. That's bad news for all concerned here, and will cost taxpayers far more than the minimal amount Texas currently spends on treating those with mental problems.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/7545185.html
Florida's shameful failure: State allows abuse of elderly or mentally ill Floridians in its care
Miami Herald
May 1, 2011
They're locked down in violation of the law. Tied with ropes. Given tranquilizers without a doctor's order. It has happened to Florida's most vulnerable, the elderly or mentally ill, at least 1,732 times since 2002 in homes licensed by the state. Most of those homes have been slapped with a relatively small fine and nothing more.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/01/2193265/floridas-shameful-failure.html
RESEARCH
Family Meals Keep Kids Slimmer, Healthier, Study Finds
Health Day news
May 2, 2011
Eating meals with their families helps keep kids slimmer and healthier, a new study finds. Researchers pooled data from 17 earlier studies and found that youngsters who joined family members regularly for meals were 24 percent more likely to eat healthy foods than kids who rarely ate with their families. They were also less likely to suffer from eating disorders.
http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=652428
FEATURES & RESOURCES
NAMI e-Advocate Newsletter
National Alliance on Mental Illness
April 2011
In this issue:
- When Teens Face Tough Times, Community Support Can Help
- Women's Day: Fighting Stigma
- May Is Mental Health Month
- A New Approach to Schizophrenia?
- NAMI Bookshelf
http://www.nami.org/AMTemplate.cfm?Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=120079
Key Update: April 2011
National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
April 2011
In this issue:
- Alternatives 2011 Scholarship Applications Are Due May 16!
- NAMI STAR Center to Host Teleconference on Spirituality
- SAMHSA ADS Center Offers Training Teleconference on Social Inclusion
- NCMHR Seeks Nominations to a Transitional Board of Directors
- A New Cultural Competency Tool Is Available Free from the NAMI STAR Center
- NCMHR Releases Guidelines for Promoting Recovery Through Choice and Alternatives
- SAMHSA Outlines New Strategic Initiatives for Advancing Behavioral Health Recovery
- Mini-conference Preceding USPRA Conference Covers Creating Connections
- Altered States Website Has Been Updated and Is Seeking New Artists
- SAMHSA Releases New Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide
- Anti-Smoking Program for Individuals Diagnosed with Mental Illnesses May Serve as Model
- A Bad Job Is Just as Bad for Your Mental Health as No Job, Study Finds
- Consumer-Driven Services Directory
http://www.mhselfhelp.org/pubs/view.php?publication_id=208
We're here to help as summer movies take center stage
Dallas Morning News
April 29, 2011
What's up with Mel Gibson and the beaver puppet? Gibson plays a deeply depressed individual who can only speak through his plush furry friend. Before laughter or illness gets the best of you, here's the punch line: The Beaver is actually an affecting and thoughtful story about mental illness.
http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/columnists/chris-vognar/20110429-were-here-to-help-as-summer-movies-take-center-stage.ece?action=reregister
A musical perfect for fraught times
Chicago Tribune
April 28, 2011
...It is concerned with mental illness, but "Next to Normal" is so moving because it paints a picture of a deeply loving suburban family (mother, father, son, teenage daughter), and then proceeds to reveal just had much they fail to help each other. Simple as that, really. Yet it socks you in the gut with the force of recognition.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/theater/ct-ott-0429-next-normal-review-20110428,0,6565000.column
Cartoon-A-Thon 2011 - Mental Health Heroes
PsychCentral.com (blog)
May 1, 2011
Today is the start of Mental Health Awareness month's Cartoon-A-Thon! Once again, we will be honoring our mental health heroes! Make sure you visit my blogs to read up on each hero. You will see the caricature I drew and read a little bit about their mental health recovery story. It's a great way to get inspired and share recovery experiences.
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/humor/2011/05/cartoon-a-thon-mental-health-heroes-starts-may-1st/
PHILANTHROPY
Marin Community Foundation Awards $2 Million to Bolster Healthcare Safety Net
Philanthropy News Digest
April 30, 2011
The Marin Community Foundation in Novato, California, has announced grants totaling $2 million through its Sutter Health Access to Care Fund to help Marin County residents with minimal or no health insurance gain access to medical care.
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/news/story.jhtml;jsessionid=LMIRZHZVRFGFXLAQBQ4CGW15AAAACI2F?id=338000005
