HHS Seeks Science Advice to Match Bush Views 'The Bush administration has begun a broad restructuring of the scientific advisory committees that guide federal policy in areas such as patients' rights and public health, eliminating some committees that were coming to conclusions at odds with the president's views and in other cases replacing members with handpicked choices' ( Washington Post ) See also this Slashdot discussion, and this interview with Christopher Reeve LINKS? http://www.hullocentral.demon.co.uk/site/anfin.htm To: "Your Mind & Human Rights" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: NEWS: Bush Stops $$ to Mental Health Consumer/Psych. Survivor TA's
NEWS ACTION ALERT - September 11, 2002 Your Mind & Human Rights -- please forward http://www.MindFreedom.org PRESIDENT BUSH SURPRISES FEDERALLY-FUNDED "TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTERS" FOR MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS AND PSYCHIATRIC SURVIVORS. PRESIDENT BUSH REFUSES TO RELEASE MONEY ALREADY ALLOCATED AND APPROVED. NEC, CONTAC, NMHCSHC MAY CLOSE DOORS IN WEEKS. **ACTION**: E-MAIL BLITZ TO KEY BUSH OFFICIAL. ADVOCATES CHARGE THAT NEW ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT BUSH ON MENTAL HEALTH -- SALLY SATEL -- IS BEHIND CUT. Directors of two of the five federally-funded national technical assistance [TA] centers for psychiatric survivors and mental health consumers have told MindFreedom that all five TA centers may be forced to close almost immediately. MindFreedom had previously announced these TA centers were in danger because President Bush's budget proposed 100 percent "termination" of their funding. There were signs since then that the US Senate might vote for future funding. But the Bush administration had a surprise in store. Pres. Bush is seeking *IMMEDIATE* termination of *CURRENT* funding... That is, money that has already been allocated and approved and peer-reviewed by the feds was supposed to go to TA centers on Oct. 1. The Bush Administration announced that it will simply not deliver that money. The following TA centers run by mental health consumers and psychiatric survivors would have to close their doors almost immediately unless this money is released: 1) National Empowerment Center [NEC] based in Massachusetts. 2) Consumer Organization and Networking Technical Assistance Center [CONTAC] based in West Virginia. 3) National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse [NMHCSHC] based in Pennsylvania.
