RFI: Input for NIMH's Clinical Research Networks' Research Questions..

Just forwarding along.. :)

RFI (request for information): Input on Public Health Relevant Research Questions for NIMH's Clinical Research Networks

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is seeking input from the clinical research community, mental health professionals, patient advocates and individuals living with mental illnesses, private and public mental health service systems and providers, the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, and other interested groups about important public mental health research questions that could be addressed using the infrastructure provided by three NIMH clinical research networks - the Bipolar Trials Network (BTN), the Depression Trials Network (DTN), and the Schizophrenia Trials Network (STN):

grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-MH-06-128.html.

Responses to this request for information will be accepted through Friday, February 9, 2007. Please consider submitting your ideas and/or sharing this announcement with your colleagues who may be interested.

H.R. 3248 & H.R. 6111: Lifespan Respite, Tax Relief and Health Care..

From the National Archives and Records Administration, Office of the Federal Register in Washington, D.C., comes the Public Laws Electronic Notification System Update (PENS).. Of possible interest from their latest emailing announcing new law number assignments are:

• "Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006", H.R. 3248 / Public Law 109-442, PDF format, text format, December 21, 2006; 120 Stat. 3291; 6 pages..
• "Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006", H.R. 6111 / Public Law 109-432, Various versions at THOMAS, December 20, 2006; 120 Stat. 2922; 274 pages..

Want to keep track of these and other bills of interest by assigned number or by subject, topic..? Try GovTrack.us, another personal long time very favorite..

SteveGoldADA: 2005 Census Data Regarding People With Disabilities..

Not many national newsletter lists I know of that are worthy of very excitedly saying, "You really need to receive this one firsthand." Steve Gold's Nuggets is definitely one of those few.. For those interested, subscribe information is included at the bottom of this latest forwarded piece of his..

SteveGoldADA Information Bulletin # 186 (12/06).

Many disability advocates need up to date statistics by State or county for people with disabilities. The 2005 American Community Survey which can be found on the web factfinder.census.gov provides a lot of useful current data. Here is a national summary of the data:

Nearly 15% of the population 5 years and over (i.e., 40 million people) have one or more disabilities.

For the population 16-64 years, 12% of that population (i.e., nearly 23 million people) have one or more disabilities. Of all people 16-64 years, nearly 3% have a sensory disability, more than 7% have a physical disability, and 4.5% have a mental disability. [Remember people can have more than one type of disability and show up in two categories.]

For the population 16-64 years, only 37.5% of the people with a disability are employed. That is, more than 14 million people with disabilities who are unemployed.

For the population 65 years and over, 40.5% of that population (i.e., more than 14 million people) have one or more disabilities. Of all people over 65 years, 16% have a sensory disability, 31% have physical disability, 11.5% have a mental disability, nearly 10% have a self-care disability, and 16.6% have a "go-outside-home disability."

For the population 5 years and over who have one or more disabilities, 21.1% are below the poverty level (which is about $9,200 for a single person). That is, more than 8 million persons have a disability and are below the poverty level. Of all people 5 years and over who are below the poverty level, 18.7% have a sensory disability, 21% have a physical disability, and 26.4% have a mental disability.

As a comparison, for the population 5 years and over with no disability, 11.3% are below the poverty level, while for the same age group with one or more disabilities, 21.1% are below the poverty level.

This data is available by State and county at the above Census Bureau's web site.

Advocates should use this data to hold accountable public officials with respect to "Annual Plans" [for public housing and vouchers] and "Consolidated Plans" [for HOME and CDBG funds]. Make sure the public officials note the correct percentage of persons with disabilities who are below the poverty level. That information informs (or should inform) their planning processes. Without the correct data, people will disabilities will be shortchanged.

Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues

Back issues of other Information Bulletins are available online at www.stevegoldada.com with a searchable Archive at this site divided into different subjects.

To contact Steve Gold directly: stevegoldada@cs.com or 215-627-7100.

To Subscribe to Steve's mailing list: Address a new email to majordomo@stevegoldada.com. In the body of the message include ONLY: subscribe stevegoldada

CMS PRTF: Alternatives to institutes for children with mental illness..

A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) press release..

December 19, 2006
CMS GRANTS WILL HELP STATES DESIGN ALTERNATIVES TO INSTITUTIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

With the proper supports, children institutionalized with mental illness that could thrive in their homes and communities will now have the opportunity to do so in 10 states that today received grants from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to design innovative new programs for such children.

The agency announced $218 million in grants over five years to state Medicaid programs to develop care delivery systems under the Community Alternatives to Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTF) demonstrations. The grants will provide a comprehensive package of community-based services for children with mental illness.

States receiving grants today estimate that, by 2011, 11,000 children with serious mental illnesses will benefit from the new programs these grants will fund. Those states receiving grants today include: Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina and Virginia. These states will receive a total of $21 million in the first year of the program, which will run through 2011.

"We believe these grants will result in a more caring, compassionate approach to meeting the needs of these children," said Leslie Norwalk, CMS Acting Administrator. "Integrating them back into their homes and communities gives them the best opportunity to lead successful, productive lives as adults."

Programs approved for funding under this demonstration will include 24-hour support and crisis intervention in the community setting, training for families, respite care for those families and after-school support programs for children in the demonstrations.

The demonstrations will be evaluated both for cost-effectiveness and quality of treatment and outcomes for the children involved.

Funds for these grant awards were included in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA). Further information about this grant program is on the CMS web site at: Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities demonstration grant information.

Food & Water Watch: Suspicious Shrimp

Last in, first out, as they say.. A 20-page publication from Food and Water Watch entitled Suspicious Shrimp.. Their descriptive blurb samples that the PDF file will elaborate on where our sometimes labeled "farm raised" could actually be coming from along with what other fun shtuff may come along with eating possibly industrialized shrimp..

So much of this on the news anymore.. As much as I like shrimp, I could see me still eating it but just including the occasional silent "ewwww" when related mental images manifest themselves along the way..

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.. :)

Will likely come back to elaborate more here in the intro, but for now..

This latest blog of mine will serve first and foremost as a cyber cache of the best of the hundreds of emails that hit my inbox each day..

Those items featured here will not be of the personal nature, so fear not there just in case anyone felt a huge "WHOA" welling up in his or her throat because of any one-on-one correspondence we may have had.. As a certified peer supporter (of all disabilities), I take my oath of privacy, confidentiality VERY seriously.. Those forwards featured here will instead be all of an advocacy and/or announcement type nature coming most often from resources of note..

As to this particular cyber stash's content and with considerations towards my being so public about being a consumer survivor, nope, this blog will not be one or another disability-specific.. It will instead encompass, again, the many, MANY broader topics that hit my inbox each day..

My particular way of advocacy is by thinking of disability advocacy as this humongous tree.. There are any number of events, experiences that are quite relevant to almost, if not, all of us.. Those are the foundation of the tree I build on for what I share.. The more detailed, disability-specific information is best left most frequently shared on those resources that focus on, that daily live, eat, breathe the same.. (BTW, where applicable, those will shared here, too, 'pon occasion..)

Right from the git-go, you will immediately notice credits are openly provided to the originating information that will appear here.. Soo.. The only thing I will ask of others is that if you heard it here first, please consider linking, referring back to the related post..

Choosing a very resource-rich, open method of operation comes from my own first experiences of trying to find information out there on the Net, back when "psychiatric survivor" first became a part of my own vocabulary, back when I was desperately, very desperately trying to find something resembling immediate help, assistance of any kind.. More often than not, some info could be found, but, man, oh, man, were sources the best of well-kept secrets.. A very silly, very selfish, possibly even occasionally very Life-affecting practice..

'Nuff rambling.. Let's get down to the business of change, involvement, full community inclusion for people of all disabilities.. :WINK:

PS.. Whoops.... Almost forgot.. This blog is now officially considered the primary spinoff of Six. Almost Seven.. with the to-be included posts one day finding their way home to the same.. Mountain Splash will still remain active but will be receiving much more local advocacy information along with personal meanderings and pics..