Spring 2005 Newsletter

See Schedule for upcoming meetings.

MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH MONTH

FREE VIDEO ON BUILDING A MEANINGFUL LIFE AFTER HOSPITALIZATION

A new video "Inside Outside: Building a Meaningful Life After the Hospital" is a work of hope created by ex-patient film-makers Pat Deegan and Terry Strecker. The film depicts the lives of eight people with very significant histories of institutionalization, as they transition from nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals into the community. In the spirit of the President's New Freedom Initiative and the Supreme Court's Olmstead Decision, the film carries the message that recovery and life in the community are possibilities even for people who are viewed as the most impaired. Patricia Deegan presents an introduction to the film that provides the viewer with helpful information to engage in group discussions about topics related to recovery and community integration. This film is made available by the Center for Mental Health Services under contract with AFYA, Inc. and Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. To order this video free of charge, visit the following website to download an order form: http:/www.olmsteadcommnity.org/

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RECOVERY STUDY SEEKS PARTICIPANT FOR ANONYMOUS INTERNET STUDY

The Center is currently seeking participants for the study entitled "Professional Practices that Promote Recovery: Development of a New Instrument." This anonymous Internet survey tests a new instrument that assesses the relationships people in recovery have with mental health and rehabilitation providers. Mental health consumers who have experienced a disabling psychiatric condition and who CURRENTLY receive mental health or rehabilitation services are invited to participate in this study. Participation in this study will contribute to improving the services offered to people with psychiatric conditions. Please let others know about this study. The results of the study will be posted on the Center's website once analysis is completed. For more information and to participate in the survey, access the following link: http://www.bu.edu/cpr/rprs/
Source:(Mental Health & Rehabilitation eCast- December 2004)

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MARCIA BOYD, ESQ., LOCAL NAMI MEMBER
HONORED BY NAMI - NATIONAL

Marcia Boyd, Esq. , a local Estate Planning Attorney, was honored recently with the esteemed "Iris" by NAMI (National). Marcia has written articles and spoken nationally on the topic of Special Needs Trusts for persons with disabilities. Marcia has also spoken at many local NAMI meetings concerning this topic and also Medicaid, guardianship, health care proxies and living wills. She is also an active advocate on the issue of mental health parity legislation.

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DIABETICS WITH MENTAL DISORDERS AT RISK FOR DIABETIC COMPLICATONS-
Medical News Today December 7, 2004

Diabetics with mental disorders do not have as good blood sugar control as diabetics without mental illness and are more likely to suffer one or more diabetes complications including loss of kidney function, loss of sensation in the feet and visual problems (including blindness) than diabetics without mental illness, according to a study published in the December issue of Medical Care.

"This study provides a solid foundation for further work into understanding whether provider, patient or system factors can be modified to ensure better overall care of diabetic patients with mental disorders, " said Caroline Carney, MD, M.Sc. associate professor of psychiatry and medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine and a research scientist at the Regenstrief Institute, Inc. Dr. Carney is the senior author of the study which looked at insurance claims data from more than 26,000 diabetic adults between the ages of 18 and 64 living in Iowa.

"Even when we controlled for utilization of healthcare services, diabetics with mental disorders did less well at controlling their diabetes and had more complications than diabetics who had no mental health complaints," said Dr. Carney.

The researchers found that diabetics with mental disorders were more likely to be young, female, urban residents and to make greater use of healthcare services than the diabetics without mental illness. Mental disorders presented by the diabetics in the study include mood, adjustment, anxiety, cognitive, psychotic, substance abuse and sexual disorders.

"These findings underscore the need for physicians to treat the whole patient-not simply the mental disorders or the physical complaints," said Dr. Carney who is both an internist and a psychiatrist.
The study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health.
Source: Medical News Today

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RESEARCH SUGGESTS SCAN MAY DETECT BI-POLAR DISORDER
DULUTH NEWS TRIBUNE- NOVEMBER 26, 2004

Bi-polar disorder is a serious mental illness affecting about 2.3 million American, yet it can be difficult for doctors to diagnose. That may soon change, thanks to groundbreaking research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Using a high-powered magnetic resonance scanner, researchers have found that patients with bi-polar disorder produce significantly different brain scans than patients without the disorder.

"We're trying to come up with a way to turn this into a diagnostic tool," said Dr. John Port, an assistant professor of radiology and a consultant at Mayo. "The psychiatric community clearly needs a tool to help diagnose bipolar disorder."

Researchers hope the specialized scanning can help identify "metabolic markers of the disease," he said.

Bipolar disorder is a mental condition characterized by alternating periods of euphoria and depression. It is diagnosed by psychiatrists using symptoms, response to medications and when available, family history. Patients often go undiagnosed for years, doctors say.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, two-thirds of patients with bipolar disorder are unemployed; they have suicide rates 20 times higher than normal; and 40 percent to 60 percent are substance abusers.

Mayo Clinic physicians see about 1,000 patients a year with bipolar disorder, Port said.

"It's a horrible disease," he said. "It's a major health-care crisis."

In a research paper presented Tuesday at the Radiological Society of North America's annual meeting in Chicago, Port and his colleagues explained the results of a study that involved 42 patients, half with bipolar disorder and half without. They ranged in age from 18 to 54 and included 26 women and 16 men.

Port said the study was unique because the participants were not taking any medications and were not substance abusers.

"If we're going to build a tool to pick up bipolar disease, we have to have a group as pure as possible," Port said. By eliminating medications and addictive substances, he and his colleagues know exactly what they are measuring. As part of the study, the 42 participants underwent MR spectroscopy; a special type of MR imaging that allows researchers to analyze the chemical properties of tissue.

"We're getting a bunch of wavy lines that tell the chemical makeup of the brain," Port explained.

The researchers studied 60 to 70 regions of the brain at a time and then used the scans to perform statistical analysis on 14 separate areas and five metabolites, or chemical substances, found in the brain.

Dr. Paul Goering, medical director for psychiatry at St. Paul's United Hospital finds the Mayo report "intriguing", but points out that it's a small study and that other promising diagnostic tests for brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's, have not panned out.

"Clinical interviews are the best tool we have" for diagnosing bipolar disorders, Goering said. "If we add a better tool, that's always welcome. But this is a very small study. Are they really significant findings, or were they coincidental? I'll be curious to see what a bigger sample show. It doesn't have the muscle to be useful for me now because it's speculative."

Preliminary findings of the Mayo study indicate that certain chemical levels differed significantly between the bipolar group and the control group in four areas of the brain that control behavior, movement, vision and reading, and sensory information.

The MR scanner used in the study is about twice as powerful as an MR scanner found in a typical hospital, Port said. However, more powerful scanners are being installed in hospitals across the country, so finding a suitable scanner will not be a problem if ongoing tests conclude that the technique can be used as a diagnostic tool, Port said.

"We're going to keep going with this," he said of the research project. "We think we've got a good tool, but we certainly can improve it."

Source: Duluth News Tribune

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NUMEROUS STEREOTYPES IN RECENT ARTICLE
By Harold Maio, Letter to Eureka Reporter 12/06/04

(A dec. 2 article) said dealing with the mentally ill is a significant problem. The above article is one of numerous stereotypes in an article intending to be caring. Not only is there no 'the' mentally ill, as there is no 'the' Jews, no 'the' Blacks.

Theoretically, if a mentally ill person is a danger to themselves or others they are taken to a psychiatric ward, (Mental Health Advocacy Project Coordinator Marilyn) Sterling said. The reality is that they are often deemed to not meet the criteria for admission, she added.

First, any person can be held against their will, if suspected of being a danger to themselves or others. And they must be released if they are found not to be. 'Deemed' is insufficient. Third, one cannot be forcibly 'admitted' anywhere. It is a curious contradiction to confuse 'held against one's will' with 'admitted.'

'John ' responded that he was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and was not taking his medication.

Although these may well have been John's words, they reflect a prejudice he has been taught, and one editor in turn edited into this article: No one is diagnosed as an illness, one is diagnosed with an illness. Diagnosed as cancerous? No.

…The public needs to be educated about (1) those with mental illnesses. People with serious mental illnesses (2) are often good, contributing citizens, she said. If (3) the mentally ill have (4) support and a place to live they will do well."

Yes, education is sorely missing, and the education must begin within the profession itself:

1. We are people, not a 'those.'
2. We succeed on a par with any other group in society, contributing on every level. We have won the Nobel Prize; the Pulitzer; served in Congress; teach at universities; are doctors, lawyers and mail carriers; and grocery baggers. We are even editors.
3. We are not s stereotype, a 'the,' in spite of her maligning words.
4. And we live in homes costing from the millions to far less, and like others in society, some of us are homeless.

I am not sure how mental health began conflating people most in need of mental health services (who have not been provided those services) with all of us as a group, but it is a long-honored technique of prejudice and discrimination to employ language to render a group generic.

It should not be occurring within a profession; but, in the field of education, for example, where segregation by skin tone was once the law, very well-educated people taught the same prejudice, a group was "generic," not capable, and ought be segregated/

There was a time in this country when women would have been demeaned in law and language, just for being female. It is very strange these words now impose those lessons upon another group of very able people, and that those words can appear in a newspaper.

(Harold A. Maio is a consulting editor of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal at Boston University).

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GLUTEN INTOLERANCE LINKED TO SCHIZOPHRENIA

People with a genetic intolerance to gluten may also be at increased risk for schizophrenia, new research suggests. Investigators say the link, if proven, could lead to new treatments for a small subset of people with the disorder.

By studying a Danish health registry, researchers from Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health found people with the genetic digestive disorder known as celiac disease to be three times as likely as the general population to develop schizophrenia. Lead researcher William Eaton, a professor at Johns Hopkins, says the next step is to determine if following a gluten-free diet makes a difference in the symptoms of people with schizophrenia who have celiac disease. Celiac disease is a lifelong condition in which foods that contain gluten damage the small intestine. Gluten is a form of protein found in some grains such as wheat, rye and barley. The damage to the intestine makes it hard for the body to absorb nutrients such as calcium, iron and fat from food.

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NEW HOPE FOR STOLEN LIVES

Until a few years ago, physicians could offer only dim prospects for individuals with schizophrenia. The devastating brain disorder, which typically emerges in the teens or twenties, had no effective treatment. Instead, it often rendered those affected unable to complete simple tasks or maintain any interest in life. As the disease unfolded, some patients developed overwhelming delusions (for example, believing that others were reading their minds or plotting to kill them). Still other patients became suicidal and couldn't be left alone, a tremendous strain on their loved ones.

Today, the scenario is quite different. According to the National Institute for Mental Health. (N.I.M.H.), an increasing number of the 2.2 million American adults affected by schizophrenia are regaining their lives. Thanks to improved treatments, many are able to relate to others, work and live independently.
Coming up, with improved treatments is a top priority: the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has identified schizophrenia as one of the world's 10 most debilitating diseases. Schizophrenia is challenging to treat because it includes psychotic or "positive" symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations (hearing voices and seeing things that do not actually exist), as well as "negative" symptoms such as social withdrawal, extreme apathy and blunted emotional expression. The earliest drugs, developed in the 1950's, were effective in helping to relieve the positive symptoms, but they did little to relieve the negative ones.

In the last decade, new "atypical" antipsychotic drugs have been introduced that are effective in controlling the negative symptoms. These new drugs include clozaril (clozapine), Geodon (ziprasidone), Risperdal (risperidone), Seroquel (quetiapine) and Zyprexa (olanzapine).

After these symptoms are controlled, psychotherapy and self-help groups can help individuals with schizophrenia learn to develop social skills, cope with stress, identify early warning signs of relapse and prolong their periods of remission. In addition, support groups and family therapy can give loved ones a better understanding of the illness and help them maintain the compassion and support vital to recovery.

As a result, many individuals with schizophrenia are working, living in the community or with their families and contributing to society. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill estimates that treatment of schizophrenia is successful in 60 percent of patients in the United States.

The National Mental Health Association (N.M.H.A.) is also working to help individuals with schizophrenia obtain the services they need. Michael M Faenza, its president and C.E.O. explained. "It is important that they have access to housing, health insurance and other forms of support so that they can control their symptoms and get their lives back on track.

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SHU " BILL INTRODUCED IN BOTH HOUSES!
From NAMI-NYS Electronic Newsletter, Feb. 15, 2005

Legislation that would require NYS prisons to create more appropriate and humane facilities for inmates with severe psychiatric disabilities moved one step closer to adoption with the introduction last week of identical versions of the "SHU Bill" in both houses of the NYS Legislature.

The bill, 2207, was introduced in the Senate last Thursday by the Chairman of the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee Michael Nozzolio. It is identical to A.3926, which has been introduced and championed for the past two years by Assembly Corrections Committee Chairman Jeffrion Aubry. The Aubry bill was approved by the full Assembly last session.

The bill is commonly referred to as the "SHU" bill because it would ban the confinement of severely psychiatrically disabled inmates in solitary confinement settings called 'special housing units'. Instead it would establish correctional facilities that provide for the confinement and treatment of inmates with serious mental illness in a manner that is consistent with the mental health treatment needs of such inmates."

The bill would also require the state to provide correctional officers with annual training developed by the NYS Office of Mental Health.

Accordingly, the bill is being strongly backed by a unique partnership between a coalition of mental health and prisoners' rights groups (MHASC or "Mental Health Alternatives to Solitary Confinement") and the NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association.

MHASC's red "Boot the SHU" buttons were displayed prominently at state legislative days sponsored recently by NAMI-NYS and NYAPRS, both of which are leading members of MHASC.

Key elements of the proposed legislation:

Creation of Alternatives to the "SHU": The NYS Department of Correctional Services and the Office of Mental Health would be directed to 'retrofit' existing prison space to create regional psychiatric correctional facilities that would "provide medically appropriate custodial care, supervision, treatment and, where appropriate, discipline, for inmates with serious mental illness."

Creation of Prison Mental Health Transitional Services: These facilities will also provide "mental health transitional services to inmates who are discharged from the facility that are designed to prepare inmates for release, ensure continuity of mental health care upon release, reduce inmate relapse and recidivism."

Ban on Solitary Confinement: The bill would "exclude inmates with serious mental illness from isolated confinement related to inmate discipline or maintenance of order."

CQC Oversight: The bill would "provide for oversight of treatment and confinement of inmates with serious mental illness in all correctional facilities by the New York State Commission On Quality Care for the Mentally Disabled. The Commission is directed to appoint a committee on psychiatric correctional care which shall monitor compliance with this legislation."

Correctional Officer Staffing, Training: "The development of such facilities will require hiring additional treatment staff (and) require training for department staff." The state would be required to offer correctional officers who would be assigned to work at the new regional "residential mental health treatment programs" 40 hours of specialized mental health training at the outset, and 12 hours of additional training every other hear thereafter. In addition, the state would provide 8 hours of annual mental health training to all other state correctional officers. Designed by the NYS Office of Mental Health, the training would include "information about the types and symptoms of mental illnesses, the goals of mental health treatment, and training in how to effectively and safely manage inmates with mental illness."

Start Date: The legislation would not actually take effect for two years after it is approved by both the NYS Legislature and the Governor.

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BIPOLAR DISORDER STUDY- ADULT FEMALE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

The University of Rochester/Strong Memorial hospital is looking for women ages 28-35 who have been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder to volunteer for a research study.

The purpose of the study is to learn more about bone mineral density, reproductive endocrine hormones, and insulin resistance in young women with Bipolar disorder.

Participation would involve 2 visits to Strong Memorial Hospital each (week) lasting between 3 and 5 hours.

Eligible volunteers will be compensated for time and travel with a $50 check following participation.

To learn more about the study, or to find out if you are eligible, please contact the study coordinator, Jeff at (585) 275-8221 or e-mail us at NewResearch@urmc.rochester.edu

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LIFE LINE/ 2-1-1 LAUNCHES IN FEBRUARY

In February, the community was introduced to 2-1-1; an exciting project that connects people with information about and referrals to health and human services. From finding substance abuse assistance to securing adequate care for a child or an aging parent, 2-1-1 is an easy to remember telephone number that connects people with essential services they need.

The project is a collaboration effort between Depaul's LIFE LINE program and the United Way of Greater Rochester. 2-1-1 now serves Monroe County. Ontario, Livingston, Wayne, Seneca and Cayuga counties will follow.

Similar to what LIFE LINE has done for more than 30 years, 2-1-1 provides confidential information and referrals to human services 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is operated by trained professionals.

2-1-1 offers access to various services including: physical and mental health resources, crisis intervention services, drug and alcohol intervention and rehabilitation, employment supports, financial assistance, job training, transportation assistance, support for the elderly and persons with disabilities, and support for children, youth and families.

United Way of America and the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems will work together to accelerate the nationwide spread of 2-1-1 over the next several years.

Robert Bonn, 2-1-1 director, said the local 2-1-1 initiative is the first in New York State. Sen. Hillary Rodman Clinton attended the January 18 kick-off celebration for 2-1-1. She also toured the call center.

"This initiative ensures a better delivery of human services and makes it easier for the community to get in contact with the right people," Sen. Clinton said. "It not only points people in the right direction, but it can grow. I'm excited to be a part of this."

Source: Depaul Details- Winter 2005

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HELPING TO ACHIEVE INSIGHT

• " Lack of insight is associated with non-adherence to treatment and problems with medication adherence/compliance.
• " Because problems with insight may be rooted biology, don't assume that it will be easy to convince someone that they are ill.
• " Make it as easy as possible for your relative to take prescribed medication.
• " Support your relative and always find ways to encourage their sense of hope.
• " Encourage your relative to seek our friends, relatives and therapists to listen and provide support.
• " Join family psychoeducation groups to learn all you can about mental disorders.
• " Treat your relative with genuine empathy and understanding.
• " Try bargaining based on your own relative's motivations.
• " Find clinicians who will take the time to build solid relationshships with your relative.

Source: NAMI PROMISE- JAN/FEB 2005

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HIGH NON-ADHERENCE RATE RAISES ALARM

Despite improved drugs to treat schizophrenia, a new study says that only 41 per cent of patients take their antipsychotic medication on a regular basis.
The study by University of California at San Diego (UCSD) researchers also found that outpatient and hospital medical costs are significantly higher in the patients who do not regularly adhere to a prescribed drug regimen.

Among people with schizophrenia, 24 per cent simply don't take their medications are they're supposed to and 17 per cent only occasionally follow their prescribed drug schedule, according to the study published in the April edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

A surprising finding was a high percentage of people with schizophrenia -nearly one in five identified as "excess fillers," meaning they filled their prescriptions more frequently than prescribed.

According to UCSD researchers, the findings point to a need for improved management of patients by all members of the treatment team, including physicians, pharmacists, family members and case management workers in community health settings.

Additional findings in the study were the fact that older individuals were more likely to be adherent, and that African-Americans and Latino consumers were more likely to be non-adherent than Caucasians. Those living independently or homeless were also more likely to be non-adherent.

Schizophrenia Digest- Summer 2004

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PEOPLE, PLACES & EVENTS

WELCOME THESE NEW MEMBERS TO THE NAMI FAMILY !!!!!

• Maryanne Rowley Walter & Marie May
• Nancy Heffernan Brigitte Renaloza
• Julie Cerel Bobbie Jo Gaines
• Michael Fiorella and Mary Catillaz Terisa Walker
• Thomas and Merlene Deegan Barbara Cole
• Gerald and Pamela Kelly Kate & Vincent Daniele
• Carol Clarke Nora Fennessy
• Valerie Reese Monica Vogt
• Ann & James Coone Stephanie Whittemore

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THANK YOU

Thanks to all of you who contributed to NAMI Rochester during the recent SEFA (State Employees Federated Association) campaign for 2005. The amount of $1500 was donated to NAMI.

Thanks to Janssen Pharmaceutica for their donation of $1,000 and to Jeffrey Freedman Attorneys At Law for their donation of $250 towards the annual dinner celebration on April 26, 2005 at Mario's Via Abruzzi.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS: Thanks to all those who have renewed their dues for 2005. NAMI annual dues are $30 for an individual or family members and it includes newsletters from the local, state, and national organizations. Our dues also support our programs such as our monthly meetings, family to family workshops and outreach events in the community as well as operating costs. If you haven't renewed your membership yet, please take the time to remember NAMI and renew your membership now !!!!

Don't miss receiving the quarterly newsletters and other important information because your membership lapsed.

We count on your SUPPORT !!! THANK YOU !!

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NAMI ON THE RADIO
Listen for 2 minute radio spots about NAMI on Northcoast Radio, 105.9 F.M. starting the week of April 18th. These should be broadcast 6 different times during the day for a few of weeks. Information about NAMI and the various signs and symptoms of mental illness will be presented.

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SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR SUMMER PICNIC
Saturday, June 11th -Creekside Pavilion at Ellison Park
FOOD & FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW SOON
THIS WILL TAKE THE PLACE OF OUR ANNUAL DUCK RACE

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UPCOMING EVENTS:

2005 Drive for a Cure - CARES/RPC 8th Annual Lisa Swigert Memorial Charity Golf Tourament - $10,000 Hole -In - One Super Cash Prize
Friday, June 10, 2005
Deerfield Country Club
$75 per person, includes lunch, cart, dinner and prizes !!!
Proceeds from the tournament will benefit CARES,
the "Committee to Aid Research to End Schizophrenia:"

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New Peer Run Educational Workshop to Start Soon - FREE
"Sharing our Recovery", a 9 week educational/ support for people in recovery from mental illness. The course is taught by NAMI members, who are trained facilitators, Sue Sotack and Jack Goldstein.

Topics: Learning to Live with a Mental Illness
Dealing With the Impact of Mental Illness
Making Peace with the Past
Feeling Good About Ourselves Again
Building A Main Support System
Making Choices That Work
Presenting Ourselves to Others
Maintaining Recovery/ Preventing Relapse

Course begins Thursday, May 5th and ends Thursday June 30th
Location: Rochester Psychiatric Center, 1111 Elmwood Ave. Bldg.60, room 101A
For more information and to register, call Jack Goldstein at 244-7231 or
Sue Sotack at 241-1941

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NYS MEDICAID MUFFS NEW MED

( reprinted from the NAMI-NYS News, April 2005, Issue No. 86)

Risperdal Consta is the first long-acting injectable atypical antipsychotic medication to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Using and advanced drug-delivery technologhy that releases the medication at a controlled rate, an injection of Risperdal Consta every two weeks provides a reliable alternative to daily oral self-medication for persons with schizophrenia. Research ahs shown that during a two-ear period as many as 75 percent of patients with schizophrenia have difficulty taking oral medication on regular basis.

Unfortunately, New York State is the only state in the U.S. where access to the new medication is restricted due to inadequate clinic reimbursement rates, according to a reimbursement policy roundtable that was held in New York City last November.

The roundtable, which was conducted by Comprehensive NeuroScience, Inc, and supported by Janssen Pharmaceuticas, was attended by representatives of more than 250 mental organizations from throughout the state, including NAMI-NYS. Participants addressed these problems:

" The Medicaid reimbursement rate for outpatient clinics does not adequately cover the combined administration and medication cost for consumers who are most in need. According to experts in the group, the clinic rate was not originally intended to cover medication costs.

" The State's "buy and bill" reimbursement method for long-acting injectables requires the provider to first purchase the medication, then bill the payer after administration. Many Medicaid providers are unable to assume the financial risk this entails.

" Ridperdal Consta is not included in the New York State Medicaid formulary, even though expensive new injectables for other illnesses are.

" Although individuals may receive this medication with adequate reimbursement as inpatients, restricted access in the outpatient community interrupsts continuity of care, contributing to relapses and unnecessary rehospitalizations, a scenario the medication was designed to prevent.
Relapse prevention is the cornerstone of the recovery process for a person with schizophrenia. Therefore, the first goal of medication is relapse presentation," said Peter Weiden, Ml.D.k a psychiatrist at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. "Once that's accomplished, you start looking for ways to help people get the most out of their lives."

The roundtable propoed several remedies to the problem of providing access to Risperdal Consta: educating the public about the problem , obtaining adequate, separate administration and medication reimbursement rates, encouraging the state to use a specialty pharmacy as a purchasing/billing intermediary as an alternative to the "buy and bill" system, developing guidelines for the appropriate use of Risperdal Consta, and conducting a phased-in-implementation fo improved access, starting with assertive Community Treatment teams and outpatient clinics.

NAMI-NYS Executive Director, David Seay, who participated in the roundtable, said", We are getting letters and phone calls form our members across the state saying they want access to this medication but can't get it due to the state's draconian reimbursement policy. It is a shame and embarrassment that New York is the only state in the union that restricts access to this type of drug this way. Today it's Risperdal Consta, but there are other drugs in the works that will be similarly affected. The time has come for the state to rethink and change this policy."

Note: NAMI Rochester would like to hear from our members if you have had any experiences with access to this medication.

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