Wednesday, March 01, 2006

 

Indiana mental healthcare near bottom

From the Indianapolis Star

March 1, 2006


Ind. mental healthcare near bottom
By Greg Hafkin
greg.hafkin@indystar.com
March 1, 2006


Indiana's mental healthcare system is among the worst in the nation, according to a survey released today by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The state received a D-minus, placing it in a four-way tie for ninth-worst among the 48 states that were ranked along with the District of Columbia.
New York and Colorado did not respond to the alliance's request for information. The eight states that failed included Illinois and Kentucky, while Ohio and Connecticut tied for the highest grade, a B.

The report criticized Indiana for having long waiting lists for community mental-health services and cautioned that changes to the system, such as the transfer of state mental hospitals to non-profit groups, might be happening too quickly. It urged for greater transparency and more opportunties for families of patients to participate in their care.

Mitch Roob, the secretary of the Family and Social Services Administration, declined to comment through a spokesman, but his office released a statement in which he blamed the shortcomings on previous administrations.

"In some ways, I am surprised we scored even this well," Roob said in the statement.



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