Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased  to share with you the latest report update on the BHN Hospital-Community Linkages Project (http://www.bhnstl.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Hospital-Community-Linkages-Spring-2012-Update.pdf). The report provides an overview of the project and some of the initial findings from the first year of operations. We hope that you will share this with your colleagues and others who would find value in it. This project was also just featured in the health section of the Post-Dispatch. You can access the story at http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/st-louis-community-works-together-to-fix-troubled-care-for/article_cfbf28ff-755a-5df7-80f9-87c436d88d0b.html

This initiative could not have been accomplished without the truly amazing work and collaboration on the part of so many different individuals and organizations in our region. We appreciate the support provided by the Department of Mental Health that allowed us to implement this project in a way that best met the needs of people at a regional level. We also want to thank all of the workgroup, committee, advisory board members and others for their guidance, input and feedback along the way. We especially thank the staff from the 21 different hospitals and community behavioral health centers who have worked together on a daily basis to meet the needs of the patients as they transitioned from inpatient to outpatient care.

We are excited about the next steps to expand and improve this work and will provide additional updates as we move forward. If you have any questions about the project, please contact Diane McFarland, at 780-3777 or dmcfarland@bhrworldwide.com. We appreciate your support of this important work.

Mrs. Carter speaks to luncheon guests at the Brown School of Social Work, Washington University

The Behavioral Health Network, Comtrea, Mental Health America of the Eastern Region and NAMI-St. Louis hosted a special day of events on February 14th in honor of the former First Lady, Rosalynn Carter . Mrs. Carter spoke about her vision for ending the mental health crisis at several scheduled events throughout the region. “She was so inspiring and committed that it literally renewed my commitment to this region” said one event attendee.

Despite great progress toward understanding the causes and treatments for mental illnesses, our nation’s health care system continues to fail people living with these conditions. No one is more passionate or persuasive on the matter than former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who has been a driving force in the field of mental health throughout her public service career. 

Mrs. Carter has been deeply invested in this issue since her husband’s gubernatorial campaign, when she saw firsthand the horrific dehumanizing treatment those with mental illnesses endured. Carter writes, “Americans think of ourselves as decent, generous and compassionate people and for the most part we are. But we treat a large portion of our own population as if they are second class citizens. Ultimately, the way we treat people with mental illnesses in our society is a moral issue—to neglect those, who through no fault of their own, are in need runs counter to our core principles—the values of  decency and equality that we hold dear.”

  The day of events included an early brunch presentation at the Roy Roy Wilde Conference Center, Fox School District in Arnold, MO along with a Corporate Sponsors Luncheon and Panel Discussion at Washington University in St. Louis.

Attendees at all events received an autographed copy of Mrs. Carter’s book, Within Our Reach:  Ending the Mental Health Crisis.