[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 79 (Monday, June 7, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H3745-H3746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              REPORT ON CONFERENCE ON MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H3746]]

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to join my colleague, 
the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) and acknowledge that today 
we had a very momentous day. It was the first conference held by the 
White House on mental health and mental health issues.
  I had the pleasure of cochairing the children's mental health 
segment, and I will tell you, Mr. Speaker, that we have opened a new 
day. I was very pleased to have with me Dr. Schnee from Harris County, 
Judge Eric Andell and Gerald Womack. Dr. Schnee and Gerald Womack were 
representing the MHMRA, Mental Health and Mental Retardation Agency for 
the County of Harris.
  It is very interesting to note that crises bring about ideas and 
collaboration. I would hope that that was not the case, but I think the 
fact that we have been given the opportunity now to seize this moment, 
that we should begin to fight mental health issues in a way that we 
provide more resources, more insight and action.
  In our session we found many interesting points that were made, and I 
would like to share some of those with you. One, we need to collaborate 
more, from the Department of Education, to Health and Human Resources, 
to the Department of Justice, but as well we need to collaborate with 
local and State government. All of us need to be concerned about 
providing more mental health services and more services to the American 
public.
  We must fight against stigma. We must ensure in particular that our 
children who have been receiving special education do find that special 
education, albeit it is a very good program, it is not the only way 
out, that our children can have access to the needed mental health 
services that they may need to have.
  We heard from Sue, an adoptive parent, who had 22 children. She asked 
us, do not leave out the parent. Provide the kind of holistic approach 
where parents can be included, so that children who are troubled with 
behavioral problems will be able to have a supportive home system.
  We have found that 60 percent of the teenagers in juvenile detention 
have behavioral, mental or emotional problems. We are finding a large 
number of our teenagers have attempted suicide or committed suicide. 
This is particularly prevalent in all of our various racial and ethnic 
groups, and particularly in groups that, we were told, are immigrant 
groups, like the Pacific Asian population who are facing deportation. 
If, as a juvenile, they have committed some grievance and wind up being 
taken to a juvenile center, they have the potential now under the 1996 
immigration law to be deported.
  We are finding in youth who are gay and lesbian that they are being 
attacked as being different, and therefore have a high degree of 
suicide. No group should be left out, no group should be stigmatized.
  We also determined that there are not enough child psychiatrists in 
our Nation. One community, one large county, had one half-time child 
psychiatrist. When they were referring children to get services, they 
went to the county and were told, ``We can only take care of children 
ages 5 to 9. We do not have any services for children under 5 years 
old.'' It is well-known in the study of the brain that there is a great 
impact on babies, 0 to 3, and in fact that the fact that we have an 
ability to diagnose mental illness now and to do so by determining the 
brain's illnesses, if you will, so that we should not leave anyone out.
  We also have found out unfortunately that with HMOs we have had less 
care as it relates to mental illness. There has not been a continuum of 
care. If a pediatrician sees a child that is troubled and refers that 
child to a psychologist or psychiatrist for help, with the parents' 
consent, the HMO willy-nilly may decide to change and not allow the 
continuum of care, and therefore that child breaks the cycle of care 
with that psychiatrist, which tells me that it is now time to pass the 
Patients' Bill of Rights. It is now time to ensure that there is a 
continuum of care and to realize that HMOs must serve us and we not 
serve them.
  A parent from Indiana said we must stop forcing parents to hit their 
heads against a brick wall, to provide services for them that they can 
reach out to, that they can get to. It is all right to say take your 
child over here across town and you cannot get a bus or train or cannot 
get the resources to get them to that.
  Then we must realize that the resources that parents have, that 
people of all economic levels have, must be consistent, so that 
Medicaid goes only to the cardiocare. So if you are a parent and you 
are a cardholder and have Medicaid, you may not be able to provide the 
kind of care you need for your child, or vice versa.

                              {time}  1930

  It is important that we talk to HCFA and others so that the 
continuing of funding sources will be provided.
  Mr. Speaker, let me say that this was an eye-opening day. I will be 
offering a piece of legislation, Give a Kid a Chance omnibus mental 
health legislation for our children of America.
  It is time to get to work. It is time to pass good health care and 
good mental health care.

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