Posted on 11/08/2004 4:58:37 PM PST by the invisib1e hand
High-priced lobbyists in Washington are tough to beat; especially the ones who represent the pharmaceutical industry. But we can't let them win this time.
On September 7th, we told you about the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health's plan (a presidential commission) to subject every child in America to mandatory mental-health screening; a plan that will result in the forced drugging of children. Two days later, Congressman Ron Paul tried to stop this insidious plan by offering an amendment to the Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Act for FY 2005. The amendment received 95 "yes" votes, but it failed to pass.
However, Congressman Paul and several of his colleagues are not giving up. Neither are we. They have drafted a letter to Congressman Ralph Regula, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations, asking for his help. The letter will be sent to Mr. Regula this Friday. As of today, 11 House members have signed the letter which is a very good start. But the high-priced lobbyists representing the drug companies are already working to oppose our effort, so we need to get additional support for our side.
Read the letter and then urge your U.S. representative to sign it. If you think mandatory mental-health screening can’t happen in the good ol' USofA, think again. In 1995, while George W. Bush was governor, the state of Texas launched the Texas Medication Algorithm Project. The state of Illinois launched a similar program in 2003. Backers of those two state programs now want to go nationwide! We must stop them!!
To read the letter and send your message, go to
http://www.thelibertycommittee.org/regula.htm
Background
http://www.thelibertycommittee.org/update09.07.04.htm
Kent Snyder
The Liberty Committee
http://www.thelibertycommittee.org
I''ve looked up the report. Here are their recommendations about mental health screening:
2. Early Mental Health Screening and Treatment in Multiple Settings: Every individual will have the opportunity for early and appropriate mental health screening, assessment, and referral to treatment.
Recommendations
Strengthen early childhood mental health interventions: Implement a national effort to focus on mental health needs of young children and their families that includes screening, assessment, intervention, training, financing of services.
Screening, assessment and treatment for co-occurring disorders will be the expectation in mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, criminal and juvenile justice and primary care settings.
Screening for mental disorders in primary care settings across the life span. Collaborative care models for identification and treatment of mental disorders across the lifespan should be widely implemented in primary care settings and reimbursed by public and private insurers.
Building on “No Child Left Behind Act” and the reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), improve and expand mental health programs in schools to ensure that youth with emotional and behavioral disorders succeed and graduate from school.
Do you see ANYTHING MANDATORY in these recommendations?
2. Early Mental Health Screening and Treatment in Multiple Settings: Every individual will have the opportunity for early and appropriate mental health screening, assessment, and referral to treatment. Recommendations
Strengthen early childhood mental health interventions: Implement a national effort to focus on mental health needs of young children and their families that includes screening, assessment, intervention, training, financing of services.
Screening, assessment and treatment for co-occurring disorders will be the expectation in mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, criminal and juvenile justice and primary care settings.
Screening for mental disorders in primary care settings across the life span. Collaborative care models for identification and treatment of mental disorders across the lifespan should be widely implemented in primary care settings and reimbursed by public and private insurers.
Building on “No Child Left Behind Act” and the reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), improve and expand mental health programs in schools to ensure that youth with emotional and behavioral disorders succeed and graduate from school.
Please show me the word mandatory. It isn't there.
valkyrieanne: I apologize for posting this information on this thread. I was posting information to you that I had just posted to Coleus here, and I didn't realize it would post on this thread.
Have you read the recommendations of the committee? Have you looked? Or are you happy just getting your chain yanked by anti-Bush malcontents?
I''ve looked up the report. Here are their recommendations about mental health screening:
2. Early Mental Health Screening and Treatment in Multiple Settings: Every individual will have the opportunity for early and appropriate mental health screening, assessment, and referral to treatment.
Recommendations
Strengthen early childhood mental health interventions: Implement a national effort to focus on mental health needs of young children and their families that includes screening, assessment, intervention, training, financing of services.
Screening, assessment and treatment for co-occurring disorders will be the expectation in mental health, substance abuse, child welfare, criminal and juvenile justice and primary care settings.
Screening for mental disorders in primary care settings across the life span. Collaborative care models for identification and treatment of mental disorders across the lifespan should be widely implemented in primary care settings and reimbursed by public and private insurers.
Building on “No Child Left Behind Act” and the reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), improve and expand mental health programs in schools to ensure that youth with emotional and behavioral disorders succeed and graduate from school.
Do you see ANYTHING MANDATORY in these recommendations?
The report states, "In a transformed mental health system, the early detection of mental health problems in children and adults—through routine and comprehensive testing and screening—will be an expected and typical occurrence....Quality screening and early intervention will occur in...readily accessible, low-stigma settings, such as primary health care facilities and schools....Both children and adults will be screened for mental illnesses during their routine physical exams. For consumers of all ages, early detection, assessment, and links with treatment and supports will help prevent mental health problems from worsening....
To aid in transforming the mental health system, the Commission makes four recommendations: Promote the mental health of young children. Improve and expand school mental health programs. Screen for co-occurring mental and substance use disorders and link with integrated treatment strategies. Screen for mental disorders in primary health care, across the lifespan, and connect to treatment and supports."
You just don't understand how the govt. works. And do you think President Bush will be there forever? C'mon, wake up, don't you know how the fed. govt. works by now?
Oh please! They screen preschoolers for developmental delays and vision problems too. It's all voluntary. No one forced me to take my son and have him screened. Luckily, I did it anyway and found out he wasn't seeing well. It was a complete surprise.
As to whether the Federal government ought to be involved, we probably agree that it should not. However, that doesn't justify spreading total BS about jackboots shoving pills down children's throats over their parents objections.
They screen preschoolers for developmental delays and vision problems too. >>
The Federal Special Education Act of 1974 already provides for this, if a child shows disabilities after age 3 it's mandatory for the local school board to test the child.
LOL! A child with disabilities MUST be offered services. In order to qualify for services the child must be screened. Find me an instance where a parent refused the screening and the child was removed from the home or the parent was jailed. Bet you can't find one. The MANDATORY part obligates the school board and not the parent.
You make it all sound so sinister! But, just like the libs, you have to shade truths because it's the only way you can get people on your side.
On the other hand, if I walked into the school tomorrow and said that I thought my child had a problem and that I wanted him screened for reading difficulties, under the law, they HAVE to comply with my request. Even if my child is a wonderful reader and everyone thinks I am a complete idiot, they MUST screen him anyway.
Where does the Federal government get the authority to set mental health policies for the nation's children?
Improve and expand school mental health programs.
Oh yeah, more government mental health workers are going to make things better. Look what it's done for public education.
Screen for co-occurring mental and substance use disorders and link with integrated treatment strategies.
Does that mean pee test all the kids?
Screen for mental disorders in primary health care, across the lifespan, and connect to treatment and supports."
Will part of that screening include personal questions about the family, such as gun ownership?
Shouldn't we know these things before supporting it?
In this post, I did not say that the screening would be mandatory or that parents would be forced into it. It is my opinion that in at least some school districts, parents would be forced to have their child screened (which would most likely be illegal, but that doesn't stop school districts from occasionally acting illegally.)
I said that *like NCLB* if schools wanted to receive federal funds, it would in my opinion be mandatory for the schools to offer screening to children. My opinion is based on what I have read in the New Freedom Commission report chapter on schools and children. The report chapter on this page says that screening would require parental consent.
If children's parents consent for them to go through the screening process, then it's a sure bet that the child would be required to take drugs as a course of treatment, as that is the standard treatment for most psychiatric disturbances.
FYI, this was Bush's IDEA to put this into place, as he had done in Texas.
I know it is Bush's idea, and I think it is a horrible one. I don't agree with Bush on everything.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1235735/posts Go here, and read about what's been incrementally happening in Illinois.
Bump
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