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One of the most interesting and pertinent documents on mental health services is The President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health Report, published in July of 2003. The document outlines the current status of the mental health system throughout the United States and resulted in six goals that need to be achieved in order to transform the mental health system in his country. Those goals are:

Americans understand that mental health is essential to overall health
Mental health care is consumer and family driven
Disparities in mental health services are eliminated
Early mental health screening, assessment and referrals to services are common practice
Excellent mental health care is delivered and research is accelerated
Technology is used to access mental health care and information

Kansas has been holding summits on each of these goals over this past year. In these meetings providers, consumers and other interested in system improvement in Kansas have been meeting to discuss the particular topic goals of each meeting. The state of Kansas has also submitted a proposal to a federal agency this spring to be eligible for some planning money that is available to states in looking at their service delivery system and the technology associated with it.

This summer, the second anniversary of the President’s report, a new report was released by the Campaign for Mental Health Reform entitled: A roadmap for Federal Action on America’s Mental Health. This report contains seven steps and 28 action items in response to the goals outlined in the 2003 report. The Campaign for Mental Health Reform includes such national groups as the National Mental Health Association, the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health, the national Suicide prevention Network USA, and the Bazelon Center for Mental Heal Law and the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare.

According to the new report, since the release of the 2003 report:

More than 63,000 Americans have been victims of suicide
An estimated 206,000 people with mental illnesses were admitted to state and federal prisons
Juvenile detention centers spent $2000 warehousing children because for needed mental health services unavailable in their community.

According to the August 1, 2005 edition of Mental Health Weekly, The report outlines 7 steps, each are possible only with federal-level leadership and resources. Those steps are:

Step 1: Maximize the effectiveness of scarce resources by coordinating programs and making system “seamless” to consumers.

Step 2: Stop making criminals those whose mental illnesses results in inappropriate behavior.

Step3: Make Medicaid accountable for the effectiveness of the mental health services it pays for,

Step 4: Prevent the negative consequences of mental disorders by getting the right services to the right people at the right time.

Step5: Invest in children and support and value their families’ role in making treatment decisions.

Step 6: Promote independence by increasing employment, eliminating disincentives for economic self-sufficiency and ending homelessness.

Step 7: Address the mental health needs of returning veterans and their families.

These goals certainly make sense to us in Sedgwick County and in Kansas. COMCARE will be dedicated to helping develop strategies to ensure that our system is responsive and timely to those needing our services. We are interested in your comments about these goals and ways you think COMCARE might be more responsive.

Marilyn Cook, LSCSW
Executive Director
COMCARE of Sedgwick County