Never before has there been a greater opportunity to address the needs of the hundreds of thousands of Ohioans that suffer from a  mental disorder or a serious mental illness, but cannot access the  needed mental health services that would allow them to lead a quality life in their community. Over the past decade, mental health  consumer and family advocates have fought on a daily basis on behalf  of those that go untreated or under treated in the state’s overburdened and fragmented public mental health system of care.  Over the years, the themes of this enduring message have remained the same:

• Public education is essential in dealing with the barrier that stigma represents to seeking  the necessary care
• The consumer and their families  should be the focus of the treatment plan with individual outcomes the goal instead of systems outcomes
• All Ohioans should have access to the mental health care they need to achieve a quality life  regardless of their social, racial, financial status and there should not be great disparities in availability between  geographical areas
• Early detection and  treatment are essential elements of a responsive system of care for men, women and children
• We must upport the expansion of research and the use of evidence-based practices
• With the goal of increased access  to the proper treatment options, there is a great need for improved and coordinated information technology

President Bush and the New Freedom Commission

On April 29, 2002, in a major policy speech given at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, President George W. Bush  announced the formation of a national commission given the task to “study the problems and gaps in our current system of treatment, and to make concrete recommendations for immediate improvements that  will be implemented.” Dr. Michael Hogan, Ohio’s mental health  director was named to lead The President’s New Freedom Commission on  Mental Health and issue a report to the President with  recommendations that will be implemented.

President Bush captivated the nation with his passion on this subject and his commitment to this issue.  In his speech the President stated that, “Millions of Americans, millions, are  impaired at work, at school, or at home by episodes of mental illness. Many are disabled by severe and persistent mental  problems.  These illnesses affect individuals, they affect  their families, and they affect our country.

“Remarkable treatments exist, and that’s good. Yet many people — too many people — remain untreated.”

“Our country must make a commitment: Americans with mental illness deserve our understanding, and they deserve  excellent care.  They deserve a health care system that treats  their illness with the same urgency as a physical illness.”

“To meet this goal, we’ve got to overcome obstacles, and I want to talk about three such obstacles this morning. The first obstacle is the stigma, the stigma that often surrounds mental illness — a stigma caused by a history of misunderstanding, fear, and embarrassment.”

“The second obstacle to quality mental health care is our  fragmented mental health service delivery system.  Mental health centers and hospitals, homeless shelters, the justice system,  and our schools all have contact with individuals suffering from mental disorders. Yet many of these disorders are difficult to  diagnose.  This makes it even harder to provide the mentally ill with the care they need.”

“Many Americans fall through the cracks of the current system. Many years and lives are lost before help, if it is given at  all, is given.”

“The third major obstacle to effective mental health care  is the often unfair treatment limitations placed on mental health in  insurance coverage.   Many private health insurance plans have developed effective programs toidentify patients with mental illnesses, and they help them get the treatment they need to regain  their health. But insurance plans too often place greater  restrictions on the treatment of mental illness than on the treatment of other medical illnesses.  As a result, some Americans are unable to get effective medical treatments that would allow them to function well in their daily lives.  Our health  insurance system must treat serious mental illness like any other  disease.” 

Nearly fifteen months later, on July 22, 2003 the Commission issued its report to the President. This Commission Report is guided  through its six major goals, 19 recommendations and nearly 100 pages of findings by the following Vision Statement: 

We envision a future when everyone with a mental illness will recover, a future when mental illnesses can be prevented or cured, a future when mental illnesses are detected  early, and a future when everyone with a mental illness at any stage  of life has access to effective treatment and supports - essentials  for living, working, learning, and participating fully in the community.

The specific findings of this landmark report strongly resonate many of the themes that consumer and family advocates in Ohio have been fighting for over the past few years.  Through  its national exposure and Ohio connections, the report gives NAMI Ohio the perfect platform to drive its public policy advocacy message through to audiences in the legislature, media and  grassroots membership.  This powerful alignment of opportunity, need and the most potent advocacy document since the Surgeon  General’s Report on Mental Health released in 1999 provides us with the tools to take the next critical step as the most influential mental health advocacy organization in the state.  This is the  challenge that should define NAMI Ohio’s every action for the  foreseeable future.

NAMI Ohio Freedom Project

Over the next several years, there could not possibly be a greater accomplishment, nor could there be a more important  challenge than the implementation of the President’s New Freedom  Commission’s recommendations.  This report represents an  invaluable opportunity for NAMI Ohio to intensify its advocacy  efforts regarding access and fairness. By using this public document as a powerful shield, NAMI advocates can push our agenda  into arenas that have otherwise been unattainable.  The  successful adoption of this report as our advocacy message will greatly increase any chance we have of being heard in the deafening  roar of conflicting views in Ohio’s public policy debate.

The following goals, recommendations and the rationale behind them can effectively support the voice of NAMI Ohio in this pursuit.  This framework should guide our every step and  provide us with the strength we will need when we face the inevitable barriers. From this outline, NAMI Ohio can map its course into the future - a future of hope.     

New Freedom Commission Goals and Recommendations
 Goal 1   Goal 2     Goal 3     Goal 4     Goal 5     Goal 6

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