[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 18 (Monday, May 6, 2002)]
[Pages 701-703]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico

April 29, 2002

    Well, thank you very much for that warm, New Mexican welcome. It's 
nice to be back in this beautiful State. I'm particularly delighted to 
be sharing the podium with a remarkable American, Pete Domenici. He 
didn't finish the story. After I interrupted him, he re-interrupted me--
[laughter]--and gave me my marching orders. [Laughter] I said, ``Yes, 
sir, Mr. Senator.'' [Laughter]
    No, I really enjoy working with Pete, and I appreciate so very much 
that leaders such as Pete have been working to make America a more 
welcoming place for people with disabilities. The work is progressing. 
We are making progress, but it certainly isn't finished. There's a lot 
to do, and some of the greatest health needs and obstacles and stigmas 
concern mental health. We are determined to confront the hidden 
suffering of Americans with mental illness.
    Pete and I share a lot in common. We love the Southwest. We care 
deeply about issues that face our country. And we both married above 
ourselves. [Laughter] I love being with Pete and Nancy, because their 
love and respect for each other is so evident and so profound. And I 
love watching Nancy's face, because it reveals and is a window into a 
compassionate heart. And I want to thank Nancy Domenici.
    I also want to thank Charles Curie for coming. Pete introduced 
Charles. Charles is a good hand, and I appreciate him being here. I also 
want to thank Phil Eaton and all the good folks here at the University 
of New Mexico. I'm so honored also to be traveling today with Heather 
Wilson. Heather is a solid citizen who brings a lot of dignity to the 
office she holds and a lot of class. And I'm proud to call her friend. I 
want to thank the State officials who are here, the Lieutenant Governor, 
thank you for coming.
    I also want to tell you about a lady I met named Lucy Salazar. 
Where's Lucy? Is she here? Lucy, thank you for coming. It's kind of off 
the subject but really not off the subject, because one of the things I 
try to do when I go into communities is herald soldiers in the armies of 
compassion, those souls who have heard the call to love a neighbor like 
you'd like to be loved yourself and have followed through on that call, 
the selfless citizens whose compassion for their neighbor is really one 
of the things that makes America so strong and powerful, particularly as 
we stand tall in the face of evil.
    I like to tell my fellow citizens that if you're interested in 
fighting evil--which, by the way, we're going to do--if you're 
interested--[laughter]. But one way to help is do some good. And it's 
that collective good that will define the true value and character of 
our country.
    And Lucy Salazar is a retired Federal Government worker. She teaches 
reading skills to pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children. She's 
incredibly important. She helps those with disabilities participate in 
the fine and performing arts. She volunteers through her church. She is 
a great citizen, and oftentimes, citizens such as her never get the 
praise they deserve. Lucy, thank you for coming and representing 
thousands of people like you.
    Millions of Americans--millions--are impaired at work, at school, or 
at home by episodes of mental illness. Many are disabled by severe and 
persistent mental problems. These illnesses affect individuals; they 
affect their families; and they affect our country.
    As many Americans know, it is incredibly painful to watch someone 
you love struggle with an illness that affects their mind and their 
feelings and their relationships with others. We heard stories today in 
a roundtable discussion about that--what the struggle means for family.
    Remarkable treatments exist, and that's good. Yet many people--too 
many people--remain untreated. Some end up addicted to drugs or alcohol. 
Some end up on the streets, homeless. Others end up in our jails, our 
prisons, our juvenile detention facilities.

[[Page 702]]

    Our country must make a commitment: Americans with mental illness 
deserve our understanding, and they deserve excellent care. They deserve 
a health care system that treats their illness with the same urgency as 
a physical illness. To meet this goal, we've got to overcome obstacles, 
and I want to talk about three such obstacles this morning.
    The first obstacle is the stigma, the stigma that often surrounds 
mental illness, a stigma caused by a history of misunderstanding, fear, 
and embarrassment. Stigma leads to isolation and discourages people from 
seeking the treatment they need. Political leaders, health care 
professionals, and all Americans must understand and send this message: 
Mental disability is not a scandal; it is an illness. And like physical 
illness, it is treatable, especially when the treatment comes early.
    Today, new drugs and therapies have vastly improved the outlook for 
millions of Americans with the most serious mental illnesses and for 
millions more with less severe illnesses. The treatment success rates 
for schizophrenia and clinical depression are comparable to those for 
heart disease. That's good news in America, and we must encourage more 
and more Americans to understand and to seek more treatment.
    The second obstacle to quality mental health care is our fragmented 
mental health service delivery system. Mental health centers and 
hospitals, homeless shelters, the justice system, and our schools all 
have contact with individuals suffering from mental disorders. Yet, many 
of these disorders are difficult to diagnose. This makes it even harder 
to provide the mentally ill with the care they need. Many Americans fall 
through the cracks of the current system. Many years and lives are lost 
before help, if it is given at all, is given.
    Consider this example--and for the experts in the field, they will 
confirm this is a story which is oftentimes too true--a 14-year-old boy 
who started experimenting with drugs to ease his severe depression. That 
happens. This former honor student became a drug addict. He dropped out 
of school, was incarcerated 6 times in 16 years. Only 2 years ago, when 
he was 30 years old, did the doctors finally diagnose his condition as 
bipolar disorder, and he began a successful program, a successful long-
term treatment program.
    And to make sure that the cracks are closed, I am honored to 
announce what we call the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. It is 
charged to study the problems and gaps in our current system of 
treatment and to make concrete recommendations for immediate 
improvements that will be implemented, and these will be improvements 
that can be implemented and must be implemented by the Federal 
Government, the State Government, local agencies, as well as public and 
private health care providers.
    To chair the Commission, I've selected Michael Hogan, Dr. Hogan. I 
appreciate your coming, Michael. Dr. Hogan has served as the Director of 
the Ohio Department of Mental Health for more than 10 years and is 
recognized as a leader in this profession. He has been focused, as a 
State official, on how our mental health system works and how it doesn't 
work.
    I look forward to the Commission's findings. I look forward to their 
proposals. I look forward to making progress and fixing the system so 
that Americans do not fall through the cracks.
    The third major obstacle to effective mental health care is the 
often unfair treatment limitations placed on mental health in insurance 
coverage. Many private health insurance plans have developed effective 
programs to identify patients with mental illnesses, and they help them 
get their treatment they need to regain their health.
    But insurance plans too often place greater restrictions on the 
treatment of mental illness than on the treatment of other medical 
illnesses. As a result, some Americans are unable to get effective 
medical treatments that would allow them to function well in their daily 
lives.
    Our health insurance system must treat serious mental illness like 
any other disease. And that was Senator Domenici's message to me at the 
Oval Office. [Laughter] And it was Nancy's message when we had them up 
for dinner. [Laughter] And I want to appreciate the fact that they have 
worked tirelessly on this problem.

[[Page 703]]

    I have a record on this issue. As the Governor of Texas, I signed a 
bill to ensure that patients who critically need mental health are 
treated fairly. Senator Domenici and I share this commitment: Health 
plans should not be allowed to apply unfair treatment limitations or 
financial requirements on mental health benefits.
    It is critical that we provide full--as we provide full mental 
health parity, that we do not significantly run up the cost of health 
care. I'll work with the Senator. I will work with the Speaker. I will 
work with their House and Senate colleagues to reach an agreement on 
mental health parity this year.
    We must work for a welcoming and compassionate society, a society 
where no American is dismissed and no American is forgotten. This is the 
great and hopeful story of our country, and we can write another 
chapter. We must give all Americans who suffer from mental illness the 
treatment and the respect they deserve.
    Thank you all. God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 10:34 a.m. at the Continuing Education 
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Charles G. Curie, Administrator, 
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of 
Health and Human Services; R. Philip Eaton, interim vice president, 
Health Sciences, University of New Mexico; and Lt. Gov. Walter Bradley 
of New Mexico. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish 
language transcript of these remarks.