NAMI News

The nation’s mental health system is in crisis and President Bush’s New Freedom Commission is challenging all of us to lead.

In a report to three leading Members of Congress, the General Accounting Office (GAO) has confirmed that states and counties force parents to give up custody of tens of thousands of children and adolescents with mental illnesses (biologically-based brain disorders) in order to secure necessary treatment -- even though child welfare and juvenile justice systems are not primarily designed to provide mental healthcare.

Thousands of Americans will take to the streets next month to support research, education and advocacy to improve the lives of people living with mental illnesses.

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) is proud to congratulate Clifford Levy and The New York Times for winning the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting for their series on abuses in adult homes for people with mental illnesses.

The National Board of Directors of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) today called unanimously on Congress to oppose any cuts in Medicaid in the budget resolution currently before them.

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) today released a 10-point policy prescription for State Medicaid programs to ensure access to effective medications for people with severe mental illnesses-challenging moves by states to save money by restricting drug benefits.

A handful of states are considering pooling their purchasing power to negotiate lower prices from pharmaceutical companies for medications in Medicaid. While our organizations understand that states must make tough decisions in the face of the current budget crisis, these programs will jeopardize consumer health if they restrict access to needed medications.

The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) fully supports the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003. We are grateful for the leadership of Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and Representatives Jim Ramstad (R-MN) and Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) in seeking to end discriminatory health insurance coverage for children and adults with severe mental illnesses and their families.

As President Bush’s “New Freedom” Commission on Mental Health moves toward release of its final report in April 2003, the NLGA is seeking to rally public awareness of the need to improve the lives of people with mental illnesses.

Of the 24 states that have restricted access to medications in their Medicaid program, only ten have taken steps to protect psychotropic medications. Restrictions on access to psychotropic medications not only jeopardize consumer health, they also fail to reduce health care costs over the long run.