he road to improvement sometimes begins with a dose of self-awareness, taking responsibility and reading the billboards along the way. And Connecticut's mental health system is stuck in "gridlock."
That admission by state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Commissioner Thomas A. Kirk Jr. garnered Connecticut a "B" Thursday on the National Alliance on Mental Illness' Grading the States 2009 report card.
The NAMI rankings, which rate the states on 65 criteria, come out once every three years. Only five other states -- Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Maryland and Oklahoma earned B's.
NAMI called Connecticut a "state of paradoxes," noting that on one hand "it strives to provide an excellent mental health care system and boasts many good conceptual ideas and interagency collaborations with the criminal justice system." Nevertheless, DMHAS' "uses the word 'gridlock' to describe its own system capacity failures," NAMI states in its report card on Connecticut. "Mental health gridlock leaves people stuck in places they do not need to be, which is expensive and disruptive."
Still, NAMI appears to be impressed with Connecticut's awareness of its systemic problems. It finds that even though Connecticut Valley Hospital had four suicides in four years, DMHAS had fired key staff involved, and introduced improvements in oversight and training that seem likely to lower the risk of future suicides.
NAMI acknowledged that the lawsuit the state faces over failing to provide the least restrictive and appropriate treatment for people with mental illnesses in nursing homes cost the state $7 million in lost "federal payments to nursing homes because many people with serious mental illnesses were being inappropriately warehoused there."
Kirk called NAMI a "tough grader."
The DMHAS commissioner said NAMI gave most states a "D" this year, as it had done in 2006 when it conducted its last review of states' performance. "Their goal in grading states is to achieve a high quality, welcoming mental health system that provides the best care possible for adults with serious mental health conditions and their families," Kirk said. "We share that goal."
The areas where Connecticut scored its highest marks were in the consumer/family empowerment measures.
"We received the highest possible scores in work-force development and our collaboration with the Judicial Branch and the [state] Department of Correction to implement jail diversion and community reintegration services for offenders."
Connecticut was the only state to receive an "A" in the "consumer/family empowerment" subcategory.
"This validates the strengths of the Connecticut mental health system and our commitment to improving the lives of those living with mental illness and their families," Gov. M. Jodi Rell said. "I commend Commissioner Kirk for his strong leadership at the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and for the effective teamwork that goes into delivering quality care and support."
That admission by state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Commissioner Thomas A. Kirk Jr. garnered Connecticut a "B" Thursday on the National Alliance on Mental Illness' Grading the States 2009 report card.
The NAMI rankings, which rate the states on 65 criteria, come out once every three years. Only five other states -- Massachusetts, Maine, New York, Maryland and Oklahoma earned B's.
NAMI called Connecticut a "state of paradoxes," noting that on one hand "it strives to provide an excellent mental health care system and boasts many good conceptual ideas and interagency collaborations with the criminal justice system." Nevertheless, DMHAS' "uses the word 'gridlock' to describe its own system capacity failures," NAMI states in its report card on Connecticut. "Mental health gridlock leaves people stuck in places they do not need to be, which is expensive and disruptive."
Still, NAMI appears to be impressed with Connecticut's awareness of its systemic problems. It finds that even though Connecticut Valley Hospital had four suicides in four years, DMHAS had fired key staff involved, and introduced improvements in oversight and training that seem likely to lower the risk of future suicides.
NAMI acknowledged that the lawsuit the state faces over failing to provide the least restrictive and appropriate treatment for people with mental illnesses in nursing homes cost the state $7 million in lost "federal payments to nursing homes because many people with serious mental illnesses were being inappropriately warehoused there."
Kirk called NAMI a "tough grader."
The DMHAS commissioner said NAMI gave most states a "D" this year, as it had done in 2006 when it conducted its last review of states' performance. "Their goal in grading states is to achieve a high quality, welcoming mental health system that provides the best care possible for adults with serious mental health conditions and their families," Kirk said. "We share that goal."
The areas where Connecticut scored its highest marks were in the consumer/family empowerment measures.
"We received the highest possible scores in work-force development and our collaboration with the Judicial Branch and the [state] Department of Correction to implement jail diversion and community reintegration services for offenders."
Connecticut was the only state to receive an "A" in the "consumer/family empowerment" subcategory.
"This validates the strengths of the Connecticut mental health system and our commitment to improving the lives of those living with mental illness and their families," Gov. M. Jodi Rell said. "I commend Commissioner Kirk for his strong leadership at the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and for the effective teamwork that goes into delivering quality care and support."
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