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NAMI EASTSIDE |
NAMI Eastside News - From the Editor The NAMI Eastside
News “From the Editor” column is penned by Susan Rynas. You can reach
Susan via e-mail at sgrynas@yahoo.com (include "Newsletter”
in subject line) or contact the NAMI Eastside office at 425-885-NAMI (6264). FROM THE EDITOR: JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2003 Life is like a river, sometimes moving slowly and other times moving swiftly. Currently, life seems to be moving swiftly. Numerous challenges await. Let's make sure that as we engage the river, despite its turbulent current and unique and unexpected twists and turns, we swim easily, keeping our energies centered and focused on our ultimate objective which is the betterment of life circumstances for those with a mental illness and their families. If this publication reaches you prior to NAMI Day, January 20th, please call the office (425-885-NAMI) to participate in car pooling to Olympia to lobby in person for mental health issues. If it reaches you after January 20th, do not despair. You are not too late. This newsletter is late but you need not be. Just pick up the phone, craft an e-mail, or write a letter to your elected representative and senator voicing your concerns, opinions, experience. This is a tight budget year and our constituency is among the most vulnerable population. Do not be hesitant about speaking to issues of importance to mental health. I am confident that most of our members have already cultivated relationships with their elected officials. If so, good. Continue your input. If not, begin now. The legislative session began on January 13th. Your voice can make a difference. Legislative Issue Highlights:
Medication Access: The governor's proposed budget assumes $45 million in savings from a consolidated pharmaceutical purchasing program called a preferred drug list. Much of this savings will be driven by creating barriers reducing access to medications used to treat mental illness such as atypical anti psychotics, anti depressants/anxietals and mood stabilizers. (We do not believe the current literature has proven the therapeutic equivalent of generic drugs in this category. Too many individuals have had relapses when their medication has been changed to generics. Many of the medications for mental illness have not been available long enough to have proven the effectiveness of generics.) MESSAGE: Exempt drugs used to treat mental illness from all formulary or preferred drug list restrictions (as Florida, Connecticut, Vermont, Virginia and others have already done). Age of Consent: NAMI Eastside members who are parenting young teenagers with a serious mental illness are adamant on this issue. They strongly favor legislation raising the "age of consent" from 13 to 16. MESSAGE: Support legislation raising the age of consent to 16. Mental Health Insurance Parity: NAMI Washington has been working on this issue as a partner in the Mental Health Parity Coalition throughout the past year. This legislation would phase in full mental health Parity over the next 6 years. SUPPORT. Mental Health Advance Directives: This legislation will help consumers provide treatment preferences (when they are in a period of wellness) in the event that they later decompensate and are unable to articulate those preferences. SUPPORT. Mental Health System Ombuds Reform: SUPPORT an independent system without the conflict of interest inherent in being paid by the very entity (RSN) that the Ombuds is supposed to objectively monitor. Till next time. Susan
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