You don't want to miss this. Shaping the News: 2019 New Highlights It has been a busy year for the Treatment Advocacy Center and we couldn't be happier with the progress we're seeing in our work to make mental health reform a reality. Below are a few highlights of the many successes we saw in 2019. Holding the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to Account In March, we brought light to an attempt by the NIMH to vastly reduce its serious mental illness prevalence estimates - effectively making 2 million people with schizophrenia disappear. Dr. Torrey's powerful argument in The Wall Street Journal called out NIMH and advocated for a national initiative to determine how many Americans suffer from these illnesses. Making Severe Mental Illness Reform a National Priority 2019 marked the year that we made severe mental illness a bipartisan national issue. Senator Amy Klobuchar cited us in detailing the bed shortage crisis in Iowa and across the nation. Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Warren released plans for mental health reform that cited the Treatment Advocacy Center, and Senator Kamala Harris released a plan for greater use of AOT and a host of our other priorities. President Trump invited John Snook, our executive director, to speak at a special White House Mental Health Summit and HHS Secretary Azar announced the Administration’s support for AOT, with a $19 million federal appropriation. Featured in the Future of Personal Health edition of USA TODAY On March 22nd, a special insert in USA TODAY focused on men's mental health hit newsstands and social media feeds. It included a piece by our executive director, John Snook, entitled "Psychiatric Patients Are Suffering From Our Mental Health System." It argued that "America's mental health treatment system is broken" and detailed reforms that must take place to help those most in need. As Snook explained, "we must stop dooming people experiencing severe mental illness to needless suffering. We should give them a bed instead." Read it here. The Treatment Advocacy Center's voice on the ground across the nation... Michigan's Treatment Bed Shortage A series of "State of Mind" stories in Michigan by CBS affiliate WWMT highlighted the state's critical shortage of public psychiatric beds and our report Going, Going, Gone. Watch here. Trouble in Virginia Advocacy Director Lisa Dailey was interviewed by the Virginia Gazette about Eastern State Hospital staffing shortage. That story is here. NYC Media Calls for Renewed Focus on Severe Mental Illness In New York City, a series of incidents spurred renewed focus on the treatment of those with severe mental illness. The New York Daily News editorial board called for greater use of Kendra’s Law. The New York Post’s editorial board cited our statistics on bed loss Colorado Gazette Guest Column Executive Director John Snook discusses the mentally ill belong in treatment not cells.Read the story here Washington state training officers to be social workers An article by Pew Charitable Trusts' Stateline, highlighted our findings from our reports Road Runners. Read more here. 2019 AOT Symposium and Learning Collaborative On October 10-11, 2019, nearly 250 advocates, officials and family members from more than 30 states gathered in Columbus, Ohio, for the first National AOT Symposium and Learning Collaborative. The purpose of the free event was to provide a road map on how to implement effective AOT programs and improve existing programs. Participants came away with a strong sense of purpose and eagerness to put the knowledge they gained into action by growing and improving the AOT programs in their communities. Research Round Up Road Runners: The Role and Impact of Law Enforcement in Transporting Individuals with Severe Mental Illness Road Runners is the first-ever national survey of sheriffs’ offices and police departments on these issues, and it provides a unique glimpse into the burdens they must shoulder as well as the fiscal and societal implications of the current situation. The survey responses represent 355 sheriffs' offices and police departments in the United States. Read the report here. Delayed and Deteriorating: Serious Mental Illness and Psychiatric Boarding in Emergency Departments People with serious mental illness are disproportionately impacted by long wait times in emergency departments, a phenomenon known as “boarding.” These individuals experience longer waits than non-psychiatric patients and have more serious consequences, including making recovery less achievable and their treatment more costly to the health care system. Read our latest evidence brief here. 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