FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 11, 2006
CONTACT: C. Chic Smith
301-443-1592 office / 202-689-4885 cell
Email: csmith@ahrq.gov / Web site: www.citizenshealthcare.gov
ATLANTA HOSTS MENTAL HEALTH CARE DISCUSSION
Citizens' recommendations to be considered by Congress, White House
Washington, D.C. – The Citizens’ Health Care Working Group will host a community dialogue on mental health care in America in Atlanta, on Monday, May 22nd, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The meeting will be held at Skyland Trail, 1903 N. Druid Hills Road, NE Atlanta, GA 30319. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Registration is available online at www.citizenshealthcare.gov. Onsite registration is also available.
"We have listened to everyday Americans across the country. At nearly every meeting, mental health issues are raised. The Congress anticipated this in directing the Working Group to pay special attention to mental health issues. We are holding the Atlanta meeting to further sharpen our understanding of mental health challenges in America," said Richard Frank, a professor of health economics at Harvard University Medical School and a Working Group Member.
This community meeting is one of three dozen taking place throughout the nation but it is the only one exclusively devoted to mental health issues.
The community meetings feature a multimedia presentation that provides information on the nation’s health care system followed by moderated discussion of what health care services should be provided, how they should be delivered and financed, and trade-offs Americans are willing to make to improve the system. In addition, community members are encouraged to share their opinions and views by using the Public Comment Center, Citizens’ Blog and Discussion Forums at www.citizenshealthcare.gov.
At the conclusion of the community meetings, the Working Group will develop recommendations which the President will review and on which five Congressional Committees will hold hearings.
The Working Group, a nonpartisan group authorized by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, is charged with listening to the views of the American people and developing recommendations for the President and Congress to provide U.S. citizens with “Health Care that Works for All Americans.” The Health Report to the American People was released in October and serves as a basis to engage the American people in a dialogue on health care access, cost and quality issues. The Working Group consists of 15 members -- 14 citizens of diverse backgrounds from across the country, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
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