Vote Early, Vote Often

Welcome to the last week of this seemingly endless campaign season, an extraordinary one for North Carolinians. Not least, for us at ncmentalhealthvote.org, is the prominence of mental health in the gubernatorial election.

Each candidate for governor has spoken often about mental health. We have a choice, and the race is close. You must decide and you must vote.

As it is non-partisan, ncmentalhealthvote.org endorses no one. What we do endorse is the need for change.

It will all change next Wednesday, when we will know who our next Governor will be.

And it all changes on January 1!

(And the title of this post? No, we do not endorse voter fraud - just an whimsical hommage to Chicago politics - the quote is attributed to Wm. Thompson, Mayor of Chicago 1915-1923 and 1931-1935.)

A Vision for Mental Health in NC

There's been talk about North Carolina needing a "vision" for mental health, after the last eight years.

One contribution ncmentalhealthvote.org has made has been to be a place where a clear vision has been articulated - it is a clinically-centered vision, where the needs of a person with mental illness is the central organizing principle for the mental health system, and everything derives from that.

So the places to start are in rebuilding the safety net where it has been tattered, and rebuilding the clinical workforce needed to take care of those in need.

The next Governor faces a daunting task, now compounded by the financial crisis that will certainly create a budget crisis for the state. In view of that, it is hard to imagine new funds flowing into the mental health/substance abuse system. The best we can hope for is to ward off budget cuts.

In view of that, the task for the first years of the next Administration will be to bolster the critical safety net services, and start the reorganization that will sustain the system when new funds become available.

As a start toward that, the NC Psychiatric Association is proposing draft legislation to revise the mental health law. We hope to assemble a wide coalition in support. It is important that we who are at the epicenter of the mental health crisis strive to set the agenda for the next session of the General Assembly.

Pinehurst, 12/10/08: Mental Health Policy for the Next Administration

December 10 - NC Council of Community Programs Conference, Pinehurst

The changes in the state's mental health system during the Easley Administration have been profound. The next Administration, taking office in January, faces problems -- and decisions -- of unprecedented scope and complexity. This presentation provides an analysis of the current state of public mental health policy, a discussion of proposals for the next Governor and legislature, and an opportunity to hear from the next Governor/staff members

What Are The Data, Outcomes, and Organizational Needs for Mental Health
- Brian Sheitman, MD (Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UNC)

Restoring Mental Health Services in Rural North Carolina
- Sy Saeed, MD (Professor and Chair of Psychiatry, ECU)

The PBH Waiver - is it ready for wider application?
- Craig Hummel, MD (Medical Director, PBH)

A Clinical Vision for Public Mental Health
- John Wagnitz, MD (Medical Director, Sandhills LME; Assoc. Consulting Professor of Psychiatry, Duke; Chair, NCPA Community & Public Psychiatry Committee; Past President, NCPA)

Revising the Mental Health Law and other Policy Options
- Harold Carmel, MD (Consulting Professor of Psychiatry, Duke; Past President, NCPA)

Perspective from the Next Administration - (Governor-Elect or staff members, invited)

Akland Report from NAMI-Wake

This is worth a careful read, as it provides a snapshot of what is known about LME operations, especially ACT Team development, at this time. Very compelling, as well, is its account of its careful survey of the 100 NC Sheriffs and how they experience the effects of mental health "reform."

http://www.nami-wake.org/