{news} Online Town hall meeting on "Mental Health in CT

[Green Party-CT]

Government Technology 

  Connecticut Holding First Electronic Town Hall Meeting on Mental Health Initiative  By News Release 
  Oct 23, 2006
  Connecticut will use cyberspace this week to reach citizens across the state in a first-ever Electronic Town Hall Meeting on the quality and availability of mental health services.

The live, interactive, and web-based videoconference will be held Thursday October 26 to receive citizen input into the five-year, $13.7 million federal/state effort to transform the delivery of mental health services in the state. Citizens will be able to view the webcast, log onto the internet to ask a question, or attend a Town Hall meeting in person at any of seven locations across the state. Information is available the state Web site. 

"The state is reaching out to help citizens speak up on the systems supporting the state's delivery of mental health services," Governor M. Jodi Rell said. "This is a unique opportunity to provide feedback and insight into this ongoing collaborative effort to improve the quality of care and services in Connecticut." 

Connecticut is one of only seven states chosen for this grant, announced by Governor Rell in September 2005. Over the past year, seven workgroups with representatives from 14 state agencies and the Judicial Branch, consumers and family members, state and private providers and other key stakeholders have collaborated to develop 48 key areas of focus and have issued these key strategies for action over the next year:     
   Prevent suicide and increase mental health awareness through health education in schools   
   Give individuals and families a voice regarding mental health care services through a universal feedback tool   
   Identify and eliminate mental health disparities through standardized data collection   
   Expand access to prevention, screening, early intervention and treatment by maximizing state and federal dollars   
   Prevent youth from becoming involved in or having repeated involvement in the juvenile justice system through the use of evidence-based practices   
   Provide Connecticut citizens with a first of its kind comprehensive mental health Web site to improve access to mental health information and resources   
   Expand and enhance mental health training throughout Connecticut's workforce   
   Protect and enhance the rights of persons with mental illness.
Dr. Thomas Kirk, Commissioner of the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, stated "Citizens can participate either onsite or online. We ask that citizens pre-register for the event, review materials online prior to the webcast, and present recommendations and responses either onsite or online on the 26th."

For those unable to participate, the webcast will be available online during the month of November.

The goal of the $13.7 million, five-year transformation initiative, awarded by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is to offer services and supports that are culturally responsive, person and family-centered, and have as their primary aim the promotion of resilience, recovery and inclusion in community life for any Connecticut citizen and family impacted by mental illness.





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