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Mental
Health Benefits Project When
mental illness strikes, a lack of comprehensive mental health benefits can have
extremely negative effects. Whether the person with the illness is a child or
an adult, the cost of treatment frequently deters individuals from seeking appropriate
treatment quickly, which can result in more serious, treatment-resistant illnesses,
as well as the need for crisis intervention services or hospitalization-far more
expensive options. The exacerbated symptoms and illnesses, including physical
illnesses, caused by untreated or under-treated mental illnesses disrupt the lives
of affected individuals and families, sometimes beyond repair. In
2002, NAMI-NYC Metro launched the Mental Health Benefits Project. At its inception,
the project focused on achieving parity in mental health benefits by advocating
for the passage of a New York State law and through companies' voluntary adoption
of such benefits. Since then, the project's mission has evolved; today it is geared
towards advancing good mental health management practices in the workplace, with
a primary focus on issues of access and quality. Currently
the NAMI-NYC Metro Mental Health Benefits Project is concentrating on three key
projects: New
York City Depression Initiative: This year the Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene (DOHMH) and the New York Business Group on Health (NYBGH) have both launched
initiatives on depression to promote the use of the PHQ-9 as the standard depression
screening tool for use within primary care settings. Timothy's
Law: On December 22, 2006 Governor Pataki signed Timothy's Law into law. Timothy's
law was effective beginning January 1, 2007. NAMI-NYC Metro continues to stay
involved with the Timothy's Law Campaign to advocate for the appropriate implementation
of Timothy's Law as well as new legislation to expand the scope of the original
law. Small
Business Project: NAMI-NYC Metro staff are currently working on Mental Health
Resource Guides designed for employers and employees of small businesses. Since
80 percent of New York City businesses are small businesses (employ fewer than
250 employees) these guides aim to help businesses maximize the resources they
have in providing access to quality mental health services for their employees.
Please
call Executive Director Wendy Brennan or Advocacy Associate Becky Pietsch at 212.684.3365
with questions, suggestions or comments about the project. (Email: wbrennan@naminyc.org) NAMI-NYC
Metro gratefully acknowledges the New York Community Trust and the van Ameringen
Foundation for their support of this project.
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