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NAMI Arkansas Home Page

To kick off Mental Illness Awareness Week we are having Candlelight Vigils all over the state on Sunday, October 5th. To find a Candlelight Vigil near you visit our 'Arkansas Candlelight Vigils 2008' page.

Senate Passes Financial Market Rescue Bill With Mental Illness Parity Included - House Vote Expected Today

October 2, 2008

As widely reported in the press last night, the Senate, by a vote of 74-25, approved a revised version of the financial market rescue package that the House narrowly rejected on Monday. The version of the legislation that the Senate passed last night included an extension of expiring tax breaks that the Senate passed on September 22 by a vote of 93-2. It is this "tax extenders" package (HR 6049) that includes the mental illness insurance parity bill.

Action Required

The House is expected to vote as early as tomorrow morning. Advocates are strongly encouraged to contact their House member and urge support for the combined financial market rescue-tax extender/mental illness parity bill - known as the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (HR 1424). This is the last best chance to ensure passage of mental illness insurance parity before final congressional adjournment.

Remind your House member that:

• Mental illnesses are real,
• Treatment works - if you can get it,
• There is no justification for a health plan to impose limitations or conditions on mental illness treatment that do not apply to all other medical conditions, and
• There is broad agreement on a compromise version of the mental illness insurance parity bill that has been combined in to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act,
• Congress needs to finish the job and pass the combined financial market rescue/tax extender/parity bill so that mental illness parity can be signed into law this year,
• The Senate is simply not going to pass mental illness parity as a free-standing bill, this vote is the last chance for parity in 2008.
• This is the last chance to pass parity in 2008. Do NOT adjourn for the year without passing mental illness insurance parity.

All House offices can be reached toll-free through the parity hotline at 1-866-parity4 (1-866-727-4894).

View additional background information on the mental illness insurance parity bill.

September 24, 2008

Yesterday both the House and Senate advanced a final agreement on legislation to require group health plans to cover treatment for mental illness at parity with all other medical conditions. By a vote of 84-11, the Senate approved the parity bill (known as the Paul Wellstone-Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008) as an amendment to a much larger package extending expiring tax breaks (the entire tax package, with parity included, later passed 93-2). An hour later, the House passed the parity bill (HR 6983) by a vote of 376-47, as separate free-standing legislation.

What Happens Next?

In order for the parity bill to go to the President, the House and Senate have to pass it in the same format. With Congress expected to adjourn by the end of this week or early next week, time is running short. House and Senate leaders must now resolve how to move parity forward - whether as an amendment to the "must pass" tax extenders legislation (HR 6049) as the Senate prefers, or as a free-standing bill as the House prefers. In either case, there is strong political momentum behind the parity bill and the legislation remains a high priority for both House and Senate leaders. Likewise, President Bush went on record in favor of the parity bill today as part of the Senate tax extenders package.

Act Now!

If you believe parity is important and want to join us to help us keep the pressure on Congress to demand final action on mental illness parity legislation before adjourning, Call your members of Congress at 202-224-3121 (Senate) and 202-225-3121 (House) and demand:

Remind all members of Congress that:

• Mental illnesses are real,
• Treatment works - if you can get it,
• There is no justification for a health plan to impose limitations or conditions on mental illness treatment that do not apply to all other medical conditions, and
• There is broad agreement on a compromise version of the mental illness insurance parity bill (HR 6983), now Congress just needs to finish the job and pass the bill so it can be signed in to law this year.

NAMI Grading the States Survey

If you have had any difficulty in gaining access to the NAMI Grading the States survey, you can now access it in three different ways:

Visit our new Local Resources page!!

Click here to visit our new page to find resources near you!

NAMI Survey Opportunity

NAMI is conducting a survey of individuals living with serious mental illnesses and their family members.

Help NAMI understand the real world experiences of individuals who need public mental health services.

NAMI is working with TeleSage to conduct an online survey (http://www.nami.org/telesage)  to learn about how well states are providing publicly funded mental health services.

The survey:

 * is available online through September 30, 2008;
 * takes only about 10-15 minutes to complete;
 * is completely anonymous (NAMI will have no way of identifying you or your family member);
 * was created in partnership with TeleSage, a leading independent survey technology company.

The results of the survey will be summarized and incorporated into the NAMI report, Grading the States 2009, which will be released in early 2009.

To participate in this survey, you must be 18 years or older and have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness or have a family member who has been diagnosed with a serious mental illness (for example, schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, etc.)

Click here for more information and to begin the survey. (http://www.nami.org/telesage)

Check out our NEW Support Groups and Classes!!

We are very excited about our new NAMI Connections and Family Support Groups that are just beginning all over Arkansas! If you are interested in finding a support group near you visit our Support Group page or CLICK HERE.

We are also offering new Family to Family Classes. If you are interested in joining a class please visit our Family to Family Classes Page or CLICK HERE.

SUPPORT THE HEALTHY TRANSITION ACT OF 2008

Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Representative Pete Stark (D-CA) hosted a press conference on Wednesday, June 25th to announce the introduction of The Healthy Transition Act of 2008 (H.R.6375/S.3195).  This federal legislation is designed to address the challenges faced by young adults with mental illnesses who are transitioning to adulthood by establishing a planning grant program that would allow states to implement effective transition-age mental health services and supports.

Senators Dodd and Smith also announced the release of a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report titled Young Adults with Serious Mental Illness: Some States and Federal Agencies are Taking Steps to Address Their Transition Challenges.   The report focuses on the tremendous struggles that transition-age young adults with mental illnesses face and several innovative programs that exist in four states to address their unique needs.

Andrew Sperling, NAMI’s Director of Legislative Affairs, moderated the press conference. Amy Lydon O’Connor, a policy assistant with NAMI Connecticut and a transition-age consumer, shared her personal story at the press conference about the challenges she faced in transitioning from youth to adulthood while also managing a mental illness. She was joined by another transition-age consumer and a provider of transition-age services in Philadelphia.  

NAMI applauds Senators Dodd and Smith and Representative Stark for their leadership in introducing federal legislation that promises to focus national attention on the need for states to develop effective transition-age services and supports for young adults living with mental illnesses. 
 
If this issue is important to you, contact your Senators and Representatives to co-sponsor The Healthy Transition Act of 2008 (H.R.6375/S.3195), which will provide state grants for much needed support and services uniquely designed for youth and young adults.

GETTING AN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS FOR YOUR CHILD: TEN STEPS FOR FAMILIES

NAMI has developed a new fact sheet for families titled, Getting an Accurate Diagnosis for Your Child: Ten Steps for Families. We know families sometimes face numerous challenges when getting an accurate diagnosis for their child. Fortunately, there is still plenty families can do to help their child get an accurate diagnosis and ultimately receive the most effective treatment, supports, and services. We hope this new fact sheet helps families through the challenging process of getting an accurate diagnosis for their child.

The fact sheet can be accessed at http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Child_and_Teen_Support&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=63784

NAMI Applauds Legislation Based on GAO Report on Transition-Age Obstacles

Statement of Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness

Under the best of circumstances, the transition years from adolescence to adulthood are rarely easy. They are infinitely harder for young adults, ages 18 to 26, who live with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  Their transitions are also made more difficult by the separation and differences that exist between the nation’s child and adolescent and adult mental health care systems.

 The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report issued today estimates that 2.4 million young Americans living with mental illnesses fall within transition ages, but this estimate does not include young adults who are funneled into the criminal justice system, institutionalized or living homeless on the streets. Overall, the result is tremendous costs across different sectors of society, and a terrible toll on individuals and their families. There must be a better path to adulthood.

The GAO report highlights the challenges confronted by this special population of young adults, who live with mental illnesses through no fault of their own. It also focuses on programs in four states—Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts and Mississippi—that are specifically trying to help them. But the challenges of transition are a national issue. They exist in every state and community.

We need a 50-state commitment and strategy to provide life skills, education, housing, supported employment and other services that can serve as a foundation for the future for young adults in transition who live with mental illness.

NAMI applauds Senators Gordon Smith and Chris Dodd and Representative Pete Stark for their leadership in introducing federal legislation today that will help provide that national foundation.  It is an important step forward. The legislation will provide state-wide planning grants to support states who seek to meet an urgent need.

The legislation is an investment in the future. 

It will help young adults reach their full potential.

To read the GAO's origional report visit their website HERE.

House Passes Medicaid Moratoria!

On April 23, by a vote of 349-62, the U.S. House passed legislation to halt regulations that would undermine Medicaid financing of critical mental health services. This is an important victory for people with mental illnesses, and NAMI thanks all of our grassroots advocates for their efforts in support of this legislation!

House Passes Extension of 1996 Limited Parity Law

On February 7, the House passed legislation extending the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) for an additional year by a vote of 384 to 23.  The measure, HR 4848, now moves to the Senate where it is expected to pass quickly.  The MHPA requires equitable coverage for mental illness treatment in group health plans, but only with respect to annual and lifetime dollar limits.  Since 2001, Congress has annually renewed the law for 1 year at a time.  At the end of 2007, efforts to extend the law for another year fell short. 

Major national health plans have made clear that they continue to comply with the MHPA despite this temporary lapse.  Most plan contracts operating on a calendar year basis were put in place long before the end of 2007 and assumed compliance with the law.  

The 1996 Mental Health Parity Act and Current Federal Proposals for Comprehensive Insurance Parity

Learn more about ongoing efforts to pass a comprehensive federal parity bill.

New Page on NAMI Arkansas Website!

Please visit our Family to Family Classes Page to find out more about what the classes have to offer and how you can sign up.

PRESCHOOLERS WITH THREE OR MORE COEXISTING DISORDERS SHOW NO RESPONSE TO ADHD
MEDICATION TREATMENT

Preschoolers who are diagnosed with ADHD are not likely to respond to treatment
with the stimulant methylphenidate, regardless of dosage, if they also have
three or more coexisting disorders, according to a recent analysis of data from
the Preschoolers with ADHD Treatment Study (PATS). PATS was funded by the
National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
Previously reported PATS results showed that overall, low doses of
methylphenidate were safe and effective in treating 3-5-year-olds diagnosed with
ADHD.

This most recent study, one of seven new PATS articles published November 5,
2007, in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, sought to
identify individual characteristics that may affect how a child would respond to
treatment. The other articles examine topics such as the effectiveness of
methylphenidate over a follow-up phase, the effects of the medication on
functional outcomes for the preschoolers, and others.

Press release:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news/2007/preschoolers-with-three-or-more-coexisting-disorders-show-no-response-to-adhd-medication-treatment.shtml

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