What Mental Health Services Do Our Communities need to Place NM in the 21st Century?

On April 10, 2002, I attended the Governor's Mental Health Planning Council Public Forum. This was an opportunity for Consumers, Mental Health Providers, and Advocates to raise their voices and let our Governor know that a little is just not enough.

What were some of the issues brought up?

Need for A Mental Health Waiver. What difference would it make?
Money would be allocated to give services 24 hours a day every day that would create more apartments, group homes, day programs, support in attendant care, case management, and most important, it would expand the use of Medicaid so that people with mental illness would have options other than hospitalization, jail, homelessness, residential treatment centers, foster care and suicide.

What happens to consumers who have no insurance when they are discharged from hospital as stabilized?
They often stop medications. Some say they cannot afford to pay for them, some don't like side effects, some believe the meds don't do anything, some don't want to deal with taking prescriptions to the pharmacy.

Do psychiatric hospitals provide interpreters for consumers who are deaf?
A deaf consumer says they do not, so that they cannot communicate well and participate in their own treatment.

What happens to dually diagnosed consumers with drug problems and mental illness who are homeless?
They are placed in a psychiatric unit for a few days for detox and discharged back to street (with a list of shelters).
Is it true that Lovelace Managed Care Option has decided that a stay at Transitional Living Services (TLS) will be reduced to two months?
Yes. TLS will now be a limited benefit. Transitional Living Services was told to look for other areas of funding and staff will be contacting Jeff Bingaman, Heather Wilson and Pete Domenici for support.

So, Roz, what can people do?
* Get active.
* Become a voice for change.
* Join a group so that your voice becomes stronger.
* Contact your representatives, your congressmen and your senators. Let them know that your mental illness is not less important than any other physical or visible illnesses.
* Support more Medicaid services for personal care attendants instead of the current reductions now being instituted. Begin giving personal care attendant services to children and youth for mental health needs.
* Support a Medicaid waiver that serves people with mental illness in New Mexico.