- John P. Docherty, M.D. – Dr. Docherty is currently the Chief
Executive Officer and President of Comprehensive NeuroScience, Inc.
in White Plains, New York. Dr. Docherty will speak from his more than
25 years of experience in the behavioral healthcare field, discussing
the nature of and the treatments available to those who suffer from
schizophrenia.
- Daniel Frey. Mr. Frey is the Editor-in-Chief of New York City
Voices: A Consumer Journal for Mental Health Advocacy. Mr. Frey,
also a nationally recognized spokesperson on schizophrenia, will share
with attendees his experience of living with schizophrenia.
Date/Time:
April 19, 2004. Presentations from 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m. with access to
the Virtual Hallucination Machines from 1 p.m.- 5 p.m. – Lunch
will be provided.
Location: 711-A Legislative Office Building (LOB), Albany, New
York
Schizophrenia is a serious disorder that affects how a person thinks,
feels and acts, affecting about 1% of the world population. While no
cure for schizophrenia exists, the 2.5 million Americans who live with
this disease can lead productive and fulfilling lives with the proper
services, medication and rehabilitation.
Burdens
of Schizophrenia, Barriers to Care
Experience Schizophrenia Through a Symptom Simulator -
The Virtual Hallucination Machine
April
19, 2004
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
711-A Legislative Office Building
Albany, New York
Lunch will be provided
The
Mental Health Association in New York State is dedicated to ensuring
that all people who need it have access to effective mental health treatment.
To better understand how this issue affects people with serious mental
illness and their families, we invite you to experience first-hand the
kinds of visual and auditory hallucinations that are typical of schizophrenia
through the Virtual Hallucination Machine - a symptom simulator.
Join
us to learn about what it is like to live with schizophrenia, the social
and economic impact of the disorder, and the need to ensure continuing
access to effective treatment options.
Speakers
include:
- John P. Docherty, M.D. - Chief Executive Officer and President,
Comprehensive NeuroScience, Inc.
- Daniel Frey - Editor-in-Chief, New York City Voices:
A Consumer Journal for Mental Health Advocacy
The
Virtual Hallucination Machines will be available to Legislators, legislative
staff and the public to experience following the program from 1:30 p.m.-7
p.m.
Please RSVP
phone: (518) 434-0439 ext. 21
e-mail mseereiter@mhanys.org
fax: (518) 427-8676
Name: _______________________________________________________________
Organization:__________________________________________________________
Street: _______________________________________________________________
City: ____________________________ State:_________ Zip:___________________
Phone: _____________________________ Fax:______________________________
E-mail:
_______________________________________________________________
In
the News:
Drug
list would hurt mental health patients. Editorial
Albany Times Union, April 5, 2004
How
is it that we can justify sacrificing an individual's mental health
in hopes of pressuring pharmaceuticals into lowering prescription drug
prices ("Doctors wary of Medicaid drug list," March 15)?
The
governor and legislators' consideration of lowering the costs of Medicaid
by mandating that prescribers choose from a list of preferred drugs
is shortsighted. People who are psychiatrically unstable are the highest
users of crisis services, are seen most regularly in hospital emergency
departments, are in and out of the hospital more frequently and have
the greatest difficulty remaining employed.
Limiting
the medications that prescribers can use in treatment will actually
result in higher Medicaid costs, and that affects the cost passed on
to taxpayers. What about the price paid by the mental health consumer?
The
message being sent is that you can access the best treatment, but only
if you can pay for it. I would ask the governor and each legislator
to consider what they would want should a loved one experience a major
mental illness.
Would
they not want the best treatment available? Should this preferred drug
list become reality, a consumer might experience a trial of medications
before being able to use what a doctor's experience shows to be most
effective but, because of cost, is not on the preferred list. This could
cause someone with schizophrenia to continue to experience debilitating
symptoms for much longer than he or she might ordinarily. That's a high
price for a mental health consumer to pay.
TRACY
PITCHER, CSW
Director, Family Resources
ClearView Center
Albany
Bill
would benefit mental health care. Letter to the Editor
Poughkeepsie Journal, April 8, 2004
I
would like to thank our elected officials in Albany for their support
of Timothy's Law. Timothy's Law will mandate health insurance companies
to cover mental health expenses as they do any other medical expense.
Mental
health parity is something that affects so many people. Mental wellness
enables people to be productive members of society and helps promote
strong, healthy families. Too many people don't seek treatment because
of stigma and because insurance doesn't financially permit it. By supporting
this bill, they have clearly sent the message that mental health is
part of physical health. They're doing their part in trying to eliminate
some of the stigma that burdens people with these issues.
I
also encourage our elected officials to reinstate the mental health
cuts to Gov. George Pataki's 2004 budget. In Dutchess County, many of
the mental health programs that provide direct services to more than
2,000 of our least-represented group of people would be affected by
these proposed cuts. These individuals have little voice.
Thankfully,
programs like ours are there to help give them a sense of belonging
and accomplishment, and a place for them to build on skills they have
and discover skills they didn't know existed. In short, it gives them
hope. These support centers are rarely visited by the press, not seen
by many community members, but can't afford to be forgotten by our elected
officials who make budgetary decision.
Andrew
O'Grady, Director of Case Management
Mental Health Association, Poughkeepsie
Until
next time, we remain,
Working to ensure available and accessible
mental health services for all New Yorkers