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Citing a children's mental health
system he characterized as "fragmented, limited in scope and
under-resourced," he charged the panel with creating the state's
blueprint for a comprehensive approach to address the social and
emotional needs of Illinois' children.
"Research shows that one in 10 children
in this state suffers from a mental illness severe enough to cause
some impairment, yet only one out of five of those children receives
mental health services," said the governor. "We can do better.
Considering the long-term social costs if we don't address this
issue, we must do better."
There is a demonstrated connection
between a child's healthy social and emotional development and
school readiness, academic success and overall well-being. An
approach that focuses on prevention and early assistance for at-risk
and troubled children can reduce the incidence of more costly
outcomes -- treatment, grade retention, special education services
and welfare dependency.
The Children's Mental Health
Partnership, a 35-member interdisciplinary committee, will craft a
plan for a statewide system of services, including prevention, early
intervention and treatment for children 0-18. The plan will focus
upon maximizing current resources and identifying new funding
sources and strategies to expand the range and availability of
services, while integrating existing services into a comprehensive
continuum of care.
Barbara Shaw, director of the Illinois
Violence Prevention Authority, has been appointed chairwoman of the
partnership. Referring to the challenging task before her committee,
she said: "I look forward to working with the partnership and the
Blagojevich administration to build our children's social and
emotional strength so they can become happy, achieving students and
productive, caring citizens. We expect that Illinois will be a
national leader in this effort."
The Children's Mental Health Act of
2003 provides that:
--Illinois create a substantive and
strategic plan for building an effective children's mental health
system to address prevention, early intervention and treatment for
children 0-18 years.
--Funds contracted by the Office of
Mental Health may be used for services to children 0-18.
--Illinois develop a plan for adding
social and emotional learning standards into the curriculum and that
local school districts develop policies to address the role of
social and emotional learning in their education programs.
--Medicaid-eligible children will
receive a comprehensive assessment prior to a psychiatric
hospitalization to determine if more appropriate, community-based
services are available.
--Currently untapped Medicaid funding
for Individual Care Grants for individuals under 21 hospitalized for
psychiatric care will be claimed.
The partnership will also engage in a
public awareness campaign to promote understanding of children's
social and emotional issues and to de-stigmatize mental illness.
The partnership will seek funding for
its work and pilot program from federal sources and private
foundations. A number of state agencies are contributing staff time
and in-kind support. The list of partnership members is listed
below; those indicated by an asterisk are gubernatorial appointees.
Partnership members
*Scott
Allen
Executive
Director
Illinois
Academy of Pediatrics
Chicago,
IL 60607
*Superintendent Gene Amberg
Large
Unit District Association
Urbana
School District 116
Urbana,
IL 61801
Rep.
Patricia R. Bellock
Springfield, IL 62706
Cleo
Boswell
Division
of Administrator of Curriculum
and
Instruction
Illinois
State Board of Education
Springfield, IL 62777
*Debbie
Bretag
Executive
Director
Illinois
Center for Violence Prevention
Chicago,
IL 60604
*Terry
Carmichael
Behavioral Healthcare Associate
Community
Behavioral Healthcare Assoc.
Springfield, IL 62703
*Betsy
Clark
President
Juvenile
Justice Initiative
Evanston,
IL 60204
*Ray
Connor
Chairman
ICG
Parents Association
Barrington, IL 60010
*Ruth
Cross
Principal, Mill Street Elementary School
Co-Chair,
CASEL Illinois Leadership Team
Naperville, IL 60604
Rep.
Elizabeth Coulson
Springfield, IL 62706
*Claudia
Fabian
Disabilities Services Manager
Migrant
Head Start
Springfield, IL 62762
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*Karen
Freel
Vice
President
Ounce of
Prevention
Chicago,
IL 60603
*Gaylord
Gieseke
Vice
President
Voices
for Illinois Children
Chicago,
IL 60604
Gene
Griffin
Management Team Coordinator
Illinois
Department of Children and Family Services
Chicago,
IL 60601
*Jan
Holcomb
Chief
Executive Officer
Mental
Health Association in Illinois
Chicago,
IL 60601
*Annette
Johnson
Vice
President
Illinois
Chapter, National Black Social Workers Association
Chicago,
IL 60619
Carolyn
Cochran-Kopel
Special
Assistant to Secretary
Illinois
Department of Human Services
Springfield, IL 62762
*Susan
Krause
Executive
Director
Youth
Services of McHenry County
Woodstock, IL 60098
*Dian
Ledbetter
Executive
Director
Illinois
Federation of Families
Marion,
IL 62959
*Lynn
Liston
President
Illinois
Association of Infant Mental Health
Belvidere,
IL 61108
Sen. Iris
Y. Martinez
Springfield, IL 62706
*Maria
McCabe
President
Illinois
School Counselors Association
Northbrook, IL 60062
Anne
Marie Murphy
Medicaid
Programs Administrator
Illinois
Department of Public Aid
Springfield, IL 62762
Peter
Nierman
Deputy
Director/DMH Child and Adolescent Services
c/o Metro
C & A
Chicago,
IL 60634
*Chief
Ignacio "Joe" Pena
Co-Chair
Fight
Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois
East
Dundee Police Department
East
Dundee, IL 60118-1399
Louanner
Peters
Deputy
Chief of Staff-Social Services
Office of
the Governor
Springfield, IL 62706
*Elizabeth Richmond
Co-Chair
Illinois
Adoption Advisory Council
5923 W.
Cassidy Drive
Peoria,
IL 61607
Rep.
Kathleen A. Ryg
Springfield, IL 62706
Sen.
Jeffrey M. Schoenberg
Springfield, IL 62706
*Barbara
Shaw
Partnership Chair
Director,
Illinois Violence Prevention Authority
Chicago,
IL 60601
*Florence
Townsend
Midwest
Regional Representative
Association of Black Psychologists
Chicago,
IL 60617
*Peter
Tracy
President
Association of Community Health
Authorities of Illinois
Champaign
County Mental Health Board
Urbana,
IL 61802
*Juan
Valbuena
Illinois
Coalition for School Health Cnt.
c/o
Advocate Healthcare/Lakeview SHC
Chicago,
IL 60657
*BJ
Walker
Chief of
Human Infrastructure
Office of
the Mayor
City of
Chicago
Chicago,
IL 60202
*Paula
Wolff
Chicago
Senior Executive
Metropolis 2020
Chicago,
IL 60603
*Lisa
York
President
Illinois
School Psychologists Association
Geneva, IL 60134
[News release]
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