Politico (3/6, Cheney) reports that yesterday at a Politico Pro Deep Dive event, mental-health expert C. Edward Coffey, CEO of behavioral health services for the Henry Ford Health System, said that “it would take a ‘total redesign’ of the country’s health care delivery system to prevent suicide and combat mental illness.” Meanwhile, James Scully, MD, CEO of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), “argued that the problem is so severe that it calls for a ‘presidential commission.'”
Psychiatric News (3/6) reports, “The push to improve America’s mental health policy is facing plenty of obstacles on Capitol Hill, despite the recent clamor about the need for new mental health legislation in the wake of gun-law debates, members of a panel organized by Politico newspaper agreed in a public discussion (3/6)” on Tuesday. In addition to Dr. Scully and Dr. Coffey, “the panel consisted of… Philip Wang, MD, deputy director of the National Institute of Mental Health; and two members of Congress,” psychiatrist “Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) and Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.),” also a physician. Dr. Scully emphasized that “despite a well-documented need, access to high-quality, integrated care is lacking for many Americans.”
Related Links:
— “Experts see ‘fragmented’ mental health system, “Kyle Cheney, Politico, March 5, 2013.