Archive for » February, 2012 «

29 Feb 2012

Meryl Streep makes donations to Viola Davis’ charities

L.A. Times Money Minute: Germs everywhere

Before you touch that microwave or answer the phone, David Lazarus has something…

Before you touch that microwave or answer the phone, David Lazarus has something for you to think about.


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29 Feb 2012

Bosses have role in staff mental health

PRESSURE: Bosses urged to introduce mental health policies. Picture: AP
Source: Supplied




WORKPLACES are being urged to introduce mental health policies – similar to sexual harassment policies – under a scheme by the WA Government.


Nearly 250 West Australians take their own lives each year, with stress leave costing the nation’s employer’s $10billion each year.

Thirty-eight per cent of people will not tell their employer they have a mental illness.

Mental Health Minister Helen Morton said mental health and suicide prevention policies needed to become common place and easily recognised at work.

“Suicide prevention is best achieved by everyone working together and learning how to recognise the signs of depression or mental illness,” Mrs Morton said.

“Most of us spend the majority of our day at work, so if people know what to look for they could save a workmate’s life.

“When a workplace implements preventative strategies, productivity increases, lives are saved and it creates a better working environment.”

Mrs Morton said about 70 organisations have already pledged to introduce suicide prevention and mental health policies in their workplace.

The list includes radio stations like the Mix 94.5FM and 92.9FM, Government agencies like the Education Department and private organisations like Freehills Legal Service.

By signing a gold, silver or bronze pledge, these organisations have committed to raise awareness in their workplace and fund community plans.

Some of the initiatives will include incorporating mental health messages on payslips and during staff inductions.

The Barnett Government has committed $13million to a State Suicide Prevention Strategy, which will see 21 community action plans introduced across 106 communities.

To sign up to the pledge go to www.onelifewa.com.au
 


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29 Feb 2012

Budget talks to include mental health, drug treatment money – The News

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All told, said Fontaine, a cut of $31.3 million to substance abuse treatment would cost taxpayers $120 million.

And when mental health cuts are added to the mix, providers will be reduced to offering only detox and crisis stabilization units, said Chet Bell, CEO of Stewart-Marchman-Act Behavioral Healthcare in Daytona Beach.

“If the Senate’s proposal were to go forward in both mental health and substance abuse services across the state,” he said, “the rest of the system of care – residential, out-patient, psychiatric services in the community to make sure [patients] remain stable, would largely be gone.”

Also dismantled, Bell predicted, would be the state’s drug courts.

The precariousness of treatment is partly due to Florida’s already-low ranking in providing such programs – 35th among all states and the District of Columbia in per capita publicly financed substance abuse care and 50th in mental health care.

That translates to a 54 percent unmet need for adult mental health services and a 38 percent unmet need for adult substance abuse services, according to the Florida Council for Community Mental Health.

So providers and law enforcement officials are hoping the House plan prevails.

Fontaine praised House Speaker Dean Cannon, House budget chief Denise Grimsley and House HHS Appropriations chair Matt Hudson for supporting the continued funding.

Negron acknowledged that the House budget contains “larger and more robust numbers in both mental health and substance abuse. My view was that, for instance, they have a 2.5 percent cut to nursing homes. I have a zero-percent cut in our budget because I feel like that’s a higher priority.”

“We did not cut any programs for children,” added Negron. “I think children are more important than adults.”

But Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Brandon and chair of the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee, urged Negron to find a way to provide more mental health and substance abuse treatment to adults – if only to help their children.

“We see the ramifications of that across the board,” she said. “If they’re not receiving treatment, then the children come into (state) care, because you’ll have a two-year-old who has not had his diaper changed – so his little skin is rotting off because his mother is in a drug-induced stupor.”

The House and Senate were scheduled to begin conference committee meetings on the budget Tuesday evening.


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29 Feb 2012

Liu’s Mayoral Campaign Treasurer Charged in Donation Scheme

February 28, 2012, 6:33 PM EST

By Patricia Hurtado

(Updates with Hou’s release on bond in fifth paragraph.)

Feb. 28 (Bloomberg) — Jia “Jenny” Hou, campaign treasurer for New York City Comptroller John C. Liu, was charged with helping to funnel illegally large contributions to a campaign for “a citywide elective office in 2013.”

Liu, who is a candidate for mayor in that race, wasn’t named in the document accusing Hou of three crimes. She’s the second person tied to Liu’s campaign to be charged by federal prosecutors in New York. Xing Wu Pan, a fundraiser for Liu, was indicted Feb. 15 on wire fraud charges stemming from a scheme to funnel $16,000 in contributions to the comptroller.

“I am stunned by the news about Jenny Hou,” Liu said in a statement issued by a spokesman for his campaign. “These accusations against her are uncharacteristic and unexpected. Jenny is a smart, hardworking person who I hope will be treated fairly.”

Hou, 25, of Queens, New York, who is responsible for campaign financial disclosures, including donations by individuals, was named in a criminal complaint unsealed today in federal court in New York. The charges included conspiracy to commit wire fraud, attempted wire fraud and obstruction of justice, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. Each count carries a prison term of as long as 25 years.

‘Coordinated Scheme’

At an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Theodore Katz in Manhattan, Hou was released on a $100,000 personal recognizance bond. Katz ordered Hou to surrender all her travel documents and directed that she restrict her travel to the southern and eastern districts of New York.

“Jia Hou, a campaign treasurer, was a central figure in a coordinated scheme to break the city’s campaign finance laws,” Bharara said in a statement. “Hou concealed the use of straw donors, subverted the city’s electoral system, and obstructed justice.”

Hou’s lawyer, Martin Adelman, said she intended to plead not guilty to the charges.

“I’m going to review this complaint with my client, get the objectives and facts and then we’re going to see how we’re going to proceed,” Adelman said in an interview before his client’s court appearance.

Adelman declined to comment on whether Liu was aware of the campaign-donor scheme.

“I have no way of knowing if it’s true,” he said.

Fake Donors

Hou used at least 40 people to pose as legitimate campaign donors in order to send the campaign large, illegal donations far above the individual contribution limit set by the city’s Campaign Finance Board, prosecutors said.

Using this method, Hou was also able to fraudulently increase the amount of matching funds the board provided to the campaign, the U.S. said. She worked with individuals who served as intermediaries in connection with fundraising events where the fake donors were reimbursed, prosecutors alleged.

Hou was also charged with obstructing a federal grand jury investigation in November. She allegedly failed to produce documents in response to subpoenas and falsely claimed that she had complied with investigators’ requests.

The case is U.S. v. Hou, 12-mag-539, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

–With assistance from Will Daley, Martin Braun and Henry Goldman in New York. Editors: Peter Blumberg, Stephen Farr

To contact the reporter on this story: Patricia Hurtado in New York at pathurtado@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net


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29 Feb 2012

Salahi settles over charity law violations

White House party crasher Tareq Salahi and a now-defunct fundraising organization he headed have reached a settlement with the Virginia concerning alleged violations of a law regulating charitable organizations — including making false statements and submitting inaccurate financial information.

Tareq Salahi — who appeared on “The Real Housewives of D.C.” — and the Journey for the Cure Foundation allegedly violated the Virginia Solicitation of Contributions law, according to court documents.

Under the consent judgment filed in the civil division of Fauquier County Circuit Court, Salahi has to pay $2,500 in civil penalties and the Journey for the Cure Foundation has to pay $25,000 in civil penalties and $7,500 for Virginia’s attorney’s fees and costs.

As part of the settlement, the Commonwealth is also granted an injunction that forbids the organization and Salahi from further violating the solicitations of contributions law, a court document stated.

Journey for the Cure was a tax-exempt organization that conducted fundraisers to support people suffering from diseases including multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, leukemia and lymphoma, court documents said.

According to the attorney general’s complaint filed with the settlement, Journey for the Cure advertised on its website that “100 percent of our financing goes directly to find the cure and we have no paid staff or employees.”

However, an investigation by the Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs found that in 2007, only about 33 percent of the money the foundation spent went directly to charitable cause and only about 22 percent went directly to disease prevention-oriented charities, the complaint said. In 2008, only 0.6 percent of the money went directly to disease prevention-oriented charities, the complaint said.

Journey for the Cure was also accused of soliciting contributions from 2004 to 2009 without first being registered with the Office of Consumer Affairs, submitting inaccurate financial information in registration statements to that office, failing to maintain true fiscal records and failing to provide Virginia with required financial information when it stopped soliciting contributions there in 2010, according to the complaint.

Salahi was accused of personally violating the solicitation of contributions law by signing a notice that said the foundation was registered with the Office of Consumer Affairs when it wasn’t, signing a registration statement that falsely said the foundation had no financial history and signing a registration statement that contained inaccurate financial information, the complaint said.

Salahi’s attorney, Georgia Rossiter, said Tuesday that there was no admission of guilt in the settlement and that it is her client’s position that all the profits from the events Journey for the Cure held went to nonprofits.

njagoda@washingtonexaminer.com


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29 Feb 2012

World comes to Canada to fight stigma surrounding mental illness

International conference to be held in Ottawa

CALGARY, Feb. 28, 2012 /CNW/ – From June 4-6, 2012, the world’s leading
mental health experts will meet in Ottawa to discuss effective
interventions to reduce stigma and discrimination experienced by people
with mental health problems and illnesses. Together Against Stigma: Changing How We See Mental Illness, hosted by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) and the World
Psychiatric Association Scientific Section on Stigma and Mental
Illness, will serve as a catalyst. Its goal is to mobilize and focus
the actions and work of others to fight stigma.

“We are honoured to co-host this important and prestigious event,” said
Louise Bradley, MHCC President and CEO. “We are striving to change
negative attitudes and behaviours toward individuals living with mental
health problems and illnesses, and Canada is committed to improving the
mental health and well-being of all people. The MHCC is proud to help
bring the world’s experts together to fight stigma.”

It is estimated that nearly seven million Canadians will experience a
mental health problem this year. The stigmatizing, or negative
attitudes and behaviours that surround mental illness can result in
social isolation, reduced opportunities, and outright discrimination.
This reality often prevents people from seeking the help or treatment
they need.

“Some people say the stigma they experience is often worse than the
illness itself,” said Micheal Pietrus, director of the MHCC’s
anti-stigma initiative called Opening Minds. “Eliminating the stigma of
mental illness is not only a priority of the Commission, but a goal of
all mental health organizations worldwide.”

Together Against Stigma will bring together more than 500 mental health researchers,
professionals, policy makers, service users, advocates, caregivers and
people with lived experience of mental illness. The primary topics will
focus on youth, health care providers, and employers, as well as stigma in the workplace and in the media.

Keynote speakers will include:

  • Graham Thornicroft, PhD, Professor of Community Psychiatry, Head of the Health Service
    Research Department at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College
    London.
  • Norman Sartorius, MD, President of the Association for the Improvement of Mental Health
    Programs and a member of the Geneva Prize Foundation.
  • Patrick Corrigan, PsyD, Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the
    College of Psychology at the Illinois Institute of Technology and
    editor of the American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation.
  • Heather Stuart, PhD, Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology,
    and Chair and co-founder of the World Psychiatric Association’s
    Scientific Section on Stigma and Mental Disorders, and Bell Mental
    Health and Anti-Stigma Research Chair at Queen’s University.

The conference will include numerous events, workshops and breakout
sessions, with presentations from international anti-stigma
organizations and local artists. To register for the conference visit: www.togetheragainststigma2012.ca.

Did you know?

  • 40% of Canadian parents would not tell anyone if their child had a
    mental illness.
  • Only one child in six who is diagnosed with a mental health problem gets
    help.
  • More than one-third of news stories about mental health or mental
    illness focus on crime or violence.
  • Two-thirds of people with a mental health problem will not seek help
    because of the stigma associated with their illness.

About the Mental Health Commission of Canada

The Mental Health Commission of Canada is a catalyst for transformative
change. Our mission is to work with stakeholders to change the
attitudes of Canadians toward mental health problems and to improve
services and support. Our goal is to help people who live with mental
health problems lead meaningful and productive lives. The Mental Health
Commission of Canada is funded by Health Canada.


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28 Feb 2012

Mental health care assessed at all VA hospitals

Mental health care assessed at all VA hospitals

The Department of Veterans Affairs is auditing its 152 medical centers to see whether they meet the mental health care needs of veterans, VA Undersecretary of Health Dr. Robert Petzel said Monday.

VA headquarters officials are conducting site visits to all their hospitals, reviewing staffing levels, job vacancy rates and productivity levels, Petzel said.

“Providing good access — not adequate, [but] good, excellent access — is our No. 1 priority,” Petzel said at the 2012 American Legion National Conference.

Recent VA news:

Bill: Put all vets employment programs under VA (Feb. 23)

Number of veterans in Congress rises (Feb. 22)

Lawmaker: Is VA health care exempt from cuts? (Feb. 15)

VA officials said more than 500,000 of their 6.2 million patients have diagnoses for post-traumatic stress disorder; 100,000 of those are Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

In 2009, VA treated 1.2 million patients for mental health issues, a Government Accountability Office report found.

VA’s 2013 budget proposal includes $6.2 billion for mental health, which the department plans to use for increased outreach and screenings, new technology for self-assessment and symptom management, and reducing the stigma of seeking mental health care.

During the conference, a Kentucky Legionnaire told Petzel that the mental health department at the Lexington, Ky., VA Medical Center had 20 practitioner vacancies and veterans are having problems scheduling appointments.

“They are talking about discharging all the old PTSD patients out of the mental health clinics … and they’re having trouble getting appointments,” the Legion member said. “They may not get one for 90 days.”

Petzel would not comment specifically on Lexington but said VA expects to report its findings on the overall state of mental health care within the system to Congress in April.

He added that VA is making headway in changing its overall approach to health care from a treatment model centered on individual illnesses to a total health approach, focusing on preventive medicine and patient education. The aim is to decrease illnesses by increasing a patient’s overall health.

“We’re good, but we aren’t as good as we could be. We’re not where we want to be,” Petzel said.


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28 Feb 2012

Donations sought for animal care in Dan River Region

It is hard to describe the bond many people have with their pets.

When an animal lives with someone for years it is often considered part of the family. Veterinarian Jeff Smith said he had seen the sorrow and grief the death of a pet can bring to their owners over the years. This sadness is even worse when a family pet must be put down because the owner cannot afford expensive medical bills.

This is one of the reasons Smith and the Community Foundation of the Dan River Region began the Veterinary Emergency Treatment Fund (VET Fund) to financially assist people when they struggle to pay for a pet’s sudden illness or emergency.

“There’s a lot of funds for animals that don’t have homes,” said Smith of Mount Hermon Animal Clinic. “This is for people in emergency situations. It’s for a person who has their pet and it’s their best friend and they love them, but something happens and it gets hurt.”

The VET Fund was set up this year and is administered by Paulette Dean of the Danville Area Humane Society. Smith said veterinary care can often costs thousands of dollars. So if someone comes in and cannot pay for all of the animal’s care, the veterinarian can see if they are eligible for the fund to help pay for the treatment so the animal does not have to be put down.

Donations to the fund can also be set up in a pet’s name and memorialized. On March 31 there will be a dog walk and Easter egg hunt at Angler’s Park at 2 p.m. to raise money for the VET Fund.

“The best part of this fund is it’s about people who love their pets and are in a good home and need help,” said Smith. The fund joins three other funds supported by The Community Foundation:

» The Pittsylvania County Animal Shelter Fund which was created in 2008 to aid the construction of a new shelter and other efforts that promote animal care;

» The Animal Welfare Fund, which is a general interest fund to help out animal welfare in the Dan River Region; and

» The Irving H. and Louise Hambrick Scarce Animal Welfare Fund that was created in 2011 as a donor advised fund, with the donor recommending annually to the Foundation Board grants to support animal welfare agencies in Danville and Pittsylvania County, such as the Animal Welfare League of Pittsylvania County.

According to the Community Foundation’s executive director Debra Dodson, the organization has a history of giving money to animal welfare groups as well as other social service organizations.

“I know we have so many strong animal lovers out here,” said Dodson. “We want to bring new funds for this. I think certainly that our animals are part of our families, part of a rewarding life.”

To donate

Animal lovers who wish to support one or more of these funds can send donations to The Community Foundation of the Dan River Region, 541 Loyal St., Danville, VA 24541. Online credit card gifts can be made at www.cfdrr.org.


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28 Feb 2012

Virginia AG settles with charity run by White House party crasher for alleged …

According to the attorney general’s office, the Fauquier County-based foundation formed to support people with diseases such as multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, leukemia and lymphoma claimed on its website that 100 percent of its financing goes to charity.

However, based on bank records, the investigation found only 33 percent of its funds in 2007 and less than one percent of its funds in 2008 went directly to disease prevention-related charities. Instead, significant amounts were spent on fundraising overhead costs.

Under the settlement, the charity must pay $32,500 in civil penalties and attorney fees. Salahi also must pay $2,500 in civil penalties. Both the charity and Salahi are prohibited from further violations of Virginia Solicitation of Contributions laws.

The settlement must be approved in Fauquier County Circuit Court.

Salahi’s attorney Georgia Rossiter said Tuesday that the settlement regarding the now-defunct charity is not an admission of any wrongdoing.

All of the profits from fundraising activities went to the charity and were filtered through to other non-profit organizations, Rossiter said.

“His position is that they all went to where they were supposed to go,” she said, adding that he settled because “he’s got a lot of things going on.”

Earlier this month Salahi filed a $50 million lawsuit against his wife, Michaele, claiming she had an affair with Journey guitarist Neil Schon as part of a calculated attempt to make money for herself and the band at his expense.

The couple gained notoriety in 2009 when they crashed a White House state dinner. Michaele Salahi was a cast member of the reality show “Real Housewives of D.C.,” but the show was canceled after one season. She was thrown off the reality show “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” when it became apparent she wasn’t addicted to anything.

___

Michael Felberbaum can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/MLFelberbaum .

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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28 Feb 2012

Mental health care assessed at all VA hospitals

Mental health care assessed at all VA hospitals

The Department of Veterans Affairs is auditing its 152 medical centers to see whether they meet the mental health care needs of veterans, VA Undersecretary of Health Dr. Robert Petzel said Monday.

VA headquarters officials are conducting site visits to all their hospitals, reviewing staffing levels, job vacancy rates and productivity levels, Petzel said.

“Providing good access — not adequate, [but] good, excellent access — is our No. 1 priority,” Petzel said at the 2012 American Legion National Conference.

Recent VA news:

Bill: Put all vets employment programs under VA (Feb. 23)

Number of veterans in Congress rises (Feb. 22)

Lawmaker: Is VA health care exempt from cuts? (Feb. 15)

VA officials said more than 500,000 of their 6.2 million patients have diagnoses for post-traumatic stress disorder; 100,000 of those are Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

In 2009, VA treated 1.2 million patients for mental health issues, a Government Accountability Office report found.

VA’s 2013 budget proposal includes $6.2 billion for mental health, which the department plans to use for increased outreach and screenings, new technology for self-assessment and symptom management, and reducing the stigma of seeking mental health care.

During the conference, a Kentucky Legionnaire told Petzel that the mental health department at the Lexington, Ky., VA Medical Center had 20 practitioner vacancies and veterans are having problems scheduling appointments.

“They are talking about discharging all the old PTSD patients out of the mental health clinics … and they’re having trouble getting appointments,” the Legion member said. “They may not get one for 90 days.”

Petzel would not comment specifically on Lexington but said VA expects to report its findings on the overall state of mental health care within the system to Congress in April.

He added that VA is making headway in changing its overall approach to health care from a treatment model centered on individual illnesses to a total health approach, focusing on preventive medicine and patient education. The aim is to decrease illnesses by increasing a patient’s overall health.

“We’re good, but we aren’t as good as we could be. We’re not where we want to be,” Petzel said.


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