The final report of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health was released on July 22 in response to President Bush’s charge to the Commission to “study the mental health service delivery system, and to make recommendations that would enable adults with serious mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbance to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities.” The report, Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America, is the summary of recommendations developed by a national panel of experts in mental health.
The report begins with both positive and negative comments: that “recovery from mental illness is now a real possibility…” and that “today’s mental health care system is a patchwork relic – the result of disjointed reforms and policies.” According to the commission, “successfully transforming the mental health service delivery system rests on two principles: …services and treatments must be consumer and family centered…and…care must focus on increasing consumers’ ability to successfully cope with life’s challenges, on facilitating recovery, and on building resilience, not just on managing symptoms.”
Achieving the Promise supports PCPA’s belief that mental illnesses present serious health challenges “with a devastatingly high financial cost.” During this time of financial crisis for the behavioral health system in Pennsylvania, this report is a timely reminder to our government leaders that restoration of current budget cuts is imperative to the welfare of our state.
The Executive Summary (41 pages) and Final Report (115 pages) are available as PDF files for download.