Mental Health Network Forum

Commissioners Court: $49 million slashed from sheriff's budget
Houston Chronicle, March 9, 2010
Commissioners Court adopted a budget Tuesday that cuts sheriff's office spending by $49 million in the coming year, texas

but the county judge and sheriff immediatelyissued caveats that the plan assumes an end to chronic jail overcrowding. … A council of elected officials formed last summer is considering several ideas to reduce overcrowding, including diverting mentally ill offenders from jail to treatment, havingsome inmates serve time at home with ankle monitors and giving inmates more time-served credit for good behavior.

Survey humanizes homeless
Austin American-Statesman, March 9, 2010
Seeds for Change Consulting has just wrapped up a survey of local homeless folks.

The report, sponsored by Mobile Loaves and Fishes, included interviews with morethan 200 homeless people.

Approximately 12% (26 of the 217) of the respondents providedthat access to affordable health care, for both physical and mental ailments, was a main concern. The full results of the report will be released next week at a symposium on helping Austin's homeless community. The event will be March 17 at St. Edward's University.

NAMI National
State Advocacy: March 26 Conference Call
Friday, March 26 at 1 p.m. ET
Call-in number: (888) 858-6021; Pass code 739264#
Are you ready to influence your state's legislative budget negotiations? Now's the time for renewed action-and you have more power than you know to help. Hear a NAMI policy leader discuss how the "budget game" changes in mid-session, where to shift your focus and important tactics. It doesn't matter whether you are new to the game or a pro. This free phone conference will also discuss Congressional actions that impact state budgets. Most importantly, this is a chance to share questions, ideas and "lessons learned" with your peers.
For more information contact NAMI state policy director Angela Kimball at angelak@nami.org or (503) 279-0256. Please circulate this notice to others.
If you haven't already, please browse the resources and circulate to others the link to NAMI's new State Advocacy Web site, which includes a special media tool kit.

Stigma and the Media: March 26
How can the mental health community work with the media to positively and more accurately portray individuals living with mental health concerns?
Friday, March 26, may indeed be an especially lively day. In addition to NAMI's the State Budget Advocacy teleconference (top priority) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will sponsor a Webinar teleconference later in the day from 3-4:30 p.m. ET on "The Power of the Media and Its Impact on Mental Health Recovery."

Presenters include Bob Carolla, NAMI's director of media relations who oversees the StigmaBusters program, Jennifer Stuber, Ph.D., of the University of Washington School of Social Work and Otto Wahl, Ph.D., of the University of Hartford. Wahl has served as an advisor to NAMI's In Our Own Voice program.
Register now and circulate this notice to other NAMI leaders and members.

Registration closes next week on Friday, March 19, 2010 at 5 p.m. ET.

Opportunities for FUNDING

Child Welfare Foundation Grants: The Child Welfare Foundation accepts proposals from nonprofit organizations for projects that contribute to the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual welfare of children. Projects should focus on the dissemination of knowledge about new and innovative organizations and/or their programs designed to benefit youth, or the dissemination of knowledge already possessed by well-established organizations such that the information can be more adequately used by society. The deadline for application is July 15, 2010.

Utah Air Force base dealing with rash of suicides
Austin American-Statesman, March 8, 2010
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah's Hill Air Force Base has hired a psychologist and others to deal with a rash of suicides, mostly among civilians complaining of harsh working conditions. Ogden Air Logistics Center commander Maj. Gen. Andrew Busch says two civilians and an airman have committed suicide this year.

What Do 5 Percent Budget Cuts Look Like?
Concerned that there won't be enough revenue to fund state services in 2012-13 and cover a $9-billion-plus school finance budget "hole" created in 2006, top state officials have instructed Texas agencies to propose ways to reduce General Revenue (GR) spending by 5 percent in their 2010-2011 budgets. If these cuts can actually be implemented, the need to use the state's $9.6 billion "Rainy Day Fund" would be reduced, as would the need to find other sources of ongoing revenue. cppp

Exemptions were made to minimize the impact of 5 percent cuts on key budget areas, such as the Foundation School Program for public education; foster care; and benefits and client eligibility levels in Medicaid and CHIP. However, even with some parts of the budget spared, the $1.7 billion in total potential cuts includes many harmful proposals.

The Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) has analyzed some of the proposed cuts in health and human services, workforce and economic development, and higher education. CPPP recommends a balanced approach that uses the Rainy Day Fund and new sources of state revenue-not just budget cuts alone-to balance the state budget without needless human suffering.