Online Program

281943
Effect of the newtown tragedy on national mental health policies and programs


Monday, November 4, 2013 : 9:10 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Ronald Manderscheid, PhD, National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors, Washington, DC
The Newtown Tragedy has had a profound effect upon the policies of the Obama Administration around mental health and gun control. This presentation will summarize the Executive Orders and recommendations for Congressional action announced by the President on January 16,and describe the role that the mental health field played in producing those actions. Key dilemmas were encountered by the field in this process. Specifically,the Newtown Tragedy presented a unique opportunity for the mental health field to begin a necessary process of transformation and renewal on the eve of the Affordable Care Act. Yet, at the same time, this Tragedy also presented a perfect storm for stigmatizing persons with mental illness. Courses of action taken in response to these dilemmas will be described. An assessment will be provided about their relative success. Related recommendations for the future of the field will also be provided.

Learning Areas:

Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Assess the effects of the Newtown Tragedy on the Administration's approach to national mental health policy, national gun policy, and mental illness stigma.

Keyword(s): Mental Disorders, Mental Health Services

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I led and worked on the national field response to the Newtown Tragedy.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.