In a blog entry for the Huffington Post (10/18), psychiatrists Herbert Pardes, MD, vice chairman of the board of trustees of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and Jeffrey A. Lieberman, MD, Chair of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and President-Elect, American Psychiatric Association, write, “As more Americans with mental illnesses face fewer available mental health services, we risk rising rates of suicide, homelessness and mental health-related incarcerations.” They contend, “In this current environment of a struggling economy, rising debt and political gridlock, it is not realistic to expect significant increases in funding necessary to shore up our mental health system.” However, “the process of reform currently underway provides opportunities that should lead to improvements in the quality and efficiency of mental health care delivery,” such as patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations.
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— “New Hope for Mental Health, the Huffington Post Blog, October 17, 2012.