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Dear National Council Members:
Today, NAMI released its Report Card on the
mental health system. The National Council wants to share with you the press
release we've issued in response to the NAMI report. At the end
of this email you will also find a listing of grades for each state.
We encourage you to use this release, with
your name, for your local press and policymakers to
advocate for increased funding and resources for mental health
services. Please contact Chris Loftis, ChrisL@thenationalcouncil.org or 202.684.7457, ext.234, if you would
like to discuss the report and implications for your organization or
state.
PRESS RELEASE FROM
NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR COMMUNITY BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE
www.TheNationalCouncil.org
Public Mental Health
System Graded D
People with Serious
Mental Illnesses Continue to be Shortchanged
America’s mental health system is in dire
need of a stimulus. A state-by-state report card released by the
National Alliance on Mental Illness on March 11, 2009, gave the
nation’s mental health system a D grade overall.
“The NAMI report card confirms what the
National Council is hearing from centers around the country that
treat people with mental illnesses. Treatment center after treatment
center is experiencing increased demand and has fewer resources to
meet the need. Clearly, years of federal and state neglect coupled
with the economic downturn have caught up with us,” said Linda
Rosenberg, President and CEO of the National Council for Community
Behavioral Healthcare.
State grades for 2009 include six Bs, 18
Cs, 21 Ds and six Fs, based on 65 specific criteria. Fourteen states
improved their grades while 12 states fell backwards since NAMI's
last report card in 2006 (state grades for 2009 are listed below).
The national average remained a D.
“At a time of increasing demand for
services, mental health centers have shown amazing commitment and
creativity — looking for alternative funding sources and implementing
quality improvement measures so they can serve more people without
added resources. But it is time for a bailout. The evidence in NAMI’s
report card will help us rally the call to reinstate and strengthen
state and federal funding,” said Chris Loftis, Director of State
Policy at the National Council.
The National Council commends NAMI for
undertaking the extensive effort to grade the states, endorsing the
report’s key recommendations, many of which are closely aligned with
the National Council’s 2009 policy agenda:
- Increase funding for
mental health services.
- Ensure people with
serious mental illnesses get care for their physical health
problems.
- Replace confusing
and erratic state data collection efforts with uniform national
standards.
- Offer incentives to
address the workforce shortage.
- Implement a coherent
response to treatment non-adherence.
How the States Are Graded in
2009
Grade B: Connecticut, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma
Grade C: Arizona, California,
Colorado, DC, Hawaii, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont,
Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
Grade D: Alabama, Alaska,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North
Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah
Grade F: Arkansas, Kentucky,
Mississippi, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming
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National
Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
1701 K Street NW, Suite 400 | Washington, DC 20006
(301) 984-6200 | www.TheNationalCouncil.org
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Georgia get a "D" again from NAMI's rating of its
mental heath services
