Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Recent Mental Health Developments In Georgia, Texas and Washington
The following examines recent mental health care issues in Georgia, Texas and Washington state.
- Georgia: As part of an overhaul of the state's mental health system, a plan that took effect July 1 shifts the administrative functions of 13 regional mental health boards to the Department of Human Resources. In addition, the plan cuts the number of boards to seven, one for each state mental hospital. The boards will advise state administrators, who will oversee the hospitals, as well as all institutional and community-based mental health services in their respective regions. While state officials say the shift will "restore accountability" to a system that has been "plagued by neglect, mismanagement and fraud," advocates fear the change will reduce the role families have in oversight of mental health services. For instance, administrators will answer to the human resources department, not board members. The regional boards, created by the state Legislature in 1993, made it easier for patients and their families to issue complaints and participate in the system (Williams, Morris News Service/Augusta Chronicle, 6/30).
- Texas: Four Texas legislative panels are expected to address the "dysfunctional state of mental health care" this summer. The committees will investigate what the state can afford to fix -- Texas faces an estimated $5 billion budget deficit -- and the legal, moral and ethical issues surrounding treatment for individuals with mental illnesses. In addition, the committees will examine the criminalization of the mentally ill and make recommendations on how to ensure such people receive treatment instead of jail time (Hughes, Houston Chronicle, 6/30).
- Washington: The state's mental health care network for children is "fractured among" nine agencies and divisions, making information sharing difficult, according to an analysis by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee. Because of the lack of coordination, auditors could not assess the effectiveness of the system. In addition, they could not determine whether agencies duplicate services or share funding, a "critical" function because mentally ill children often have "multiple problems" and receive care from schools, clinics and welfare agencies. State lawmakers will review the study next month. For their part, state officials say they are attempting to improve information sharing between the Department of Social and Health Services' Mental Health Division and its Children's Administration (Martin, Spokane Spokesman-Review, 6/27).
