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Jan. 28th, 2007 10:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
transpaoMENTAL HEALTH
Return dignity to failed system
By MICHAEL J. FITZPATRICK
Published on: 01/16/07
Only one nurse or attendant for 50 patients. One hundred fifteen deaths in five years. The scandal that is today rocking Georgia and its seven state hospitals is unfortunately part of a national tragedy, in which a presidential commission has called our mental health care system a "system in shambles."
But Georgia can do better and bring dignity to those lost lives by taking specific, immediate actions. Conditions in Georgia's state hospitals are part of broader deficiencies in the state. In 2006, the first comprehensive surveys of state mental health care in 15 years gave the state a D overall.
By comparison, South Carolina received a B and Tennessee a C.
Georgia ranks only 44th in the nation in per capita spending on mental health care.
Change is needed. That includes smarter, better investment by the state Legislature. As Georgians have learned, it is a matter of life and death.
As a first step, the state must immediately ensure the safety of every person in the state hospital system. That includes focused case evaluations, effective monitoring, and more staff with better training. Hospitals are an essential part of the continuum of care for people with serious mental illnesses and they must deliver humane, high quality treatment.
Second, a permanent, independent oversight body must be created with broad powers to investigate mental health facilities and take action on abuse, neglect or other allegations of harm. "Ombudsman" programs of this nature already protect many older Americans in long-term care facilities and nursing homes. People with serious mental illnesses deserve the same.
Third, Georgia must invest in community-based services that can prevent or reduce the number of hospitalizations. At minimum, they must include assertive community treatment, crisis stabilization, and supported housing programs. With ACT, for example, psychiatrists and other professionals reach out to individuals where they live, whether on the streets or in isolated apartments. Supported housing provides stable home environments that also avoid repeated hospitalizations or homelessness.
Fourth, Georgia must pass a mental health parity law, such as those now enacted in more than 40 other states — in which private insurance plans are required to cover mental illness equally as other medical illnesses.
Call it "Sarah's Law," in memory of Sarah Crider, the 14-year-old girl who died, neglected in a state hospital because her family's private insurance had run out. The failure of private insurance to cover mental illness ultimately costs taxpayer dollars and is unfair to everyone.
Ironically, Georgia has the potential to become a national leader in mental health care, if only it marshals its resources.
The Carter Center in Atlanta is already a force for change nationally. Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, who issued the landmark Surgeon General's report on mental health, teaches at Morehouse College of Medicine, continuing to serve as a beacon to underserved communities.
Despite its faults, Georgia also has been a pioneer in providing statewide training to police who often respond to people in psychiatric crisis. It also was the first state to provide Medicaid funding for peer support for people in treatment for serious mental illnesses.
The question now is whether the state will move forward and eliminate conditions that have led to tragic loss of life. With the General Assembly opening last week, now is the time to respond.
Return dignity to failed system
- Excerpts
- Only one nurse or attendant for 50 patients.
- One hundred fifteen deaths in five years.
- "in memory of Sarah Crider, the 14-year-old girl who died, neglected in a state hospital because her family's private insurance had run out."
By MICHAEL J. FITZPATRICK
Published on: 01/16/07
Only one nurse or attendant for 50 patients. One hundred fifteen deaths in five years. The scandal that is today rocking Georgia and its seven state hospitals is unfortunately part of a national tragedy, in which a presidential commission has called our mental health care system a "system in shambles."
But Georgia can do better and bring dignity to those lost lives by taking specific, immediate actions. Conditions in Georgia's state hospitals are part of broader deficiencies in the state. In 2006, the first comprehensive surveys of state mental health care in 15 years gave the state a D overall.
By comparison, South Carolina received a B and Tennessee a C.
Georgia ranks only 44th in the nation in per capita spending on mental health care.
Change is needed. That includes smarter, better investment by the state Legislature. As Georgians have learned, it is a matter of life and death.
As a first step, the state must immediately ensure the safety of every person in the state hospital system. That includes focused case evaluations, effective monitoring, and more staff with better training. Hospitals are an essential part of the continuum of care for people with serious mental illnesses and they must deliver humane, high quality treatment.
Second, a permanent, independent oversight body must be created with broad powers to investigate mental health facilities and take action on abuse, neglect or other allegations of harm. "Ombudsman" programs of this nature already protect many older Americans in long-term care facilities and nursing homes. People with serious mental illnesses deserve the same.
Third, Georgia must invest in community-based services that can prevent or reduce the number of hospitalizations. At minimum, they must include assertive community treatment, crisis stabilization, and supported housing programs. With ACT, for example, psychiatrists and other professionals reach out to individuals where they live, whether on the streets or in isolated apartments. Supported housing provides stable home environments that also avoid repeated hospitalizations or homelessness.
Fourth, Georgia must pass a mental health parity law, such as those now enacted in more than 40 other states — in which private insurance plans are required to cover mental illness equally as other medical illnesses.
Call it "Sarah's Law," in memory of Sarah Crider, the 14-year-old girl who died, neglected in a state hospital because her family's private insurance had run out. The failure of private insurance to cover mental illness ultimately costs taxpayer dollars and is unfair to everyone.
Ironically, Georgia has the potential to become a national leader in mental health care, if only it marshals its resources.
The Carter Center in Atlanta is already a force for change nationally. Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, who issued the landmark Surgeon General's report on mental health, teaches at Morehouse College of Medicine, continuing to serve as a beacon to underserved communities.
Despite its faults, Georgia also has been a pioneer in providing statewide training to police who often respond to people in psychiatric crisis. It also was the first state to provide Medicaid funding for peer support for people in treatment for serious mental illnesses.
The question now is whether the state will move forward and eliminate conditions that have led to tragic loss of life. With the General Assembly opening last week, now is the time to respond.
