Newport Police and Aaron Alexis- Lost Opportunity?

No one has yet asked Newport police why they did not take Aaron Alexis to the hospital yet thought the incident merited informing the Navy police regarding his behavior.

House Speaker Pelosi Coming to Middletown

Nancy Pelosi & Rep. Patrick Kennedy will be here this Sat., July 11, in the afternoon. Check out that link for details & an invite. Locals (otherwise known as the "usual suspects") are hoping to convince her to fund some $ for our corporate park & for improvements to the Wave. Ave. pumping station.

She'll be visiting there & stopping at the new Child & Family Services building for a visit. There is a public reception at the Atlantic Beach Club, but with a limited capacity thanks to the newest fire safety laws regarding outside venues. Of course the fact that it actually SITS on the beach which has LOTS of H2O is meaningless & cost towns & cities mucho dinero & closed businesses, but I digress. Thank you, General Assembly.

Later she is attending a private fundraiser in Jamestown- likely for the Dem. House Legislative fundraising arm. No, no invite for me. Just as well as they'd likely expect me to give them big $. And I'd need a new dress- I never said that I wasn't shallow.

Actually, if the truth be known, they are coming to surprise Keith Stokes of the Newport Chamber of Commerce & myself on our birthdays. I will be 39- don't know about him. Definitely older, I think. More later. I have a camera now & know how to use it (kinda, sorta) so I'll try & get some visual stuff up!

Health Insurance & Socialism

The opinion article in the NDN on Wed. certainly caught my eyes with Rep. Loughlin screaming, "Socialized Medicine- Don't go There." Socialized medicine. I haven't heard that bugaboo since I was a h.s. debater with the topic of whether or not we should adopt Medicare. It was in the early 1900's that the AMA decided to torpedo attempts to supply Amercian's health care coverage with the then ominous threat of "socialism." OOOh, very scary. It also sounds like Communism- aren't they the same? Nope. What socialist countries can you even name off the top of your head?

Do you know who the AMA got to promote this campaign of deep-sixing Medicare in the Sixties? Ah, that vernable Republican icon- Ronald Reagan. What else has the AMA opposed under this banner- HMO's, Medicare, Medicaid, chiropractors, and it's not all that crazy about psychiatrists either. With less than 15% of practicing physicians now belonging to this group, who cares?

Rep. Loughlin also touts the "Patients' Choice Act." Sounds good, right? Choice is good. Unfortunately, this act is now also commonly referred to as the Swiss Cheese Policy and not because it tastes good or melts well. Sure, you'll be able to get healthcare coverage. Ah, but pricing, pricing, there's the rub. Women will pay more along with seniors like me. Just when you need it, how can you afford it?

The good Rep. also supports "Medicare Accountability" organizations. Yup, let's concentrate all our efforts fixing a program that works. Tax credits (this only works if you actually are paying substantial taxes to begin with), taking away your rights to sue physicians, hospitals, etc. all are part of his solution to our healthcare dilema. Less government is better (boy, that certainly worked out in New Orleans, didn't it), Wash. bureaucrats made this mess (hey, didn't Republicans runn the show for 14 yrs.) & berating Rep. Kennedy along with the DMV (it's recently taken me less time there than at my doctor's)= Conservative Republican magical mystery tour. He forgot to mention that he also favors mom & apple pie, rah, rah.

I don't want "universal acess" to health care, I want affordable coverage for everyone! I also want a single-payer system. Choice- yup. I choose a public plan and, if I want, I add to it with private coverage. Do I trust insurance companies to now suddenly come up with a plan to economize? Oh, surely. They just never thought that we were interested in that before.

Don't go there, indeed. We should have travelled there years ago and it's people like State Rep. Loughlin that blocked us. He wants us to have the same quality healthcare that Rep. Kennedy enjoys. 75% of the his costs are paid for by- US as part of the federal plan (FEHBP). Yup, I could live with that.

How stupid are we? Let's see- 119 million Americans are ready to sign-up today for a public plan. And sixty-three percent favor an increase in the governmental regs over their health care plans while attempting to lower costs and cover more Americans. Six out of ten Americans believe that health care should be a right. Not so dumb after all.

Patients' Choice Act? We don't need no stinking patients choice act! We need universal health care insurance. Now.

Rep. Kennedy in Medical Treatment

Mental health concerns along with addictions require constant monitoring & vigilance. Hat's off to the Rep. who has the good sense along with a strong monitoring system of doctors and friends who help keep him on track. He's decided for a time to forsake D.C. for some medical treatment for undisclosed problems.

A father who is ill, an aging mom, a re-invigorated Congress- no, no life stressors there. A past history of addictions, substance abuse, and mental illness- what fun. I run a local mental health community group. Some of the stories I hear there are heart-wrenching while there's also sucess stories to give us all hope. More and more families are touched nowadays by these diseases and we're just not willing to keep it to ourselves, suck it up, or blame ourselves or our family member or friend any longer.

Treatments are out there, but this is an area that needs a lot more research as sometimes the "cures" are almost as bad as the never-ending diseases themselves. I often think that if these sufferers (and they do suffer along with their families & friends) had a more "acceptable" disease like heart problems, diabetes, or developmental difficulties, they'd have a lot more positive outcomes in diagnosis, treatment, & community assistance.

I have a LOT of admiration for Patrick because he admits to not very fashionable problems, works on his treatment, and admits to failure sometimes- something that we can all relate to. He also goes out of his way & comfort zone in trying to assure that others have the same treatment acess that he does. Having $ helps in many ways along with famous name, but it ultimately does not make for a perfect life. Go figure.

So take your time getting better, Patrick. And when you feel up to it, you're always welcome to our group meetings- once a month at the Newport public library- check their website. You're not alone and we're all pulling for you. By helping you, we help ourselves, our families, & our community.

Rep. Kennedy- Turns Flaws into Positive Action

Thanks to www.rifuture.com for pointing me to this article in the Wash. Post. What I like best about our Rep.- he's flawed (ain't we all), realizes this, & publicly admits it. And he does not claim to socially acceptable flaws like having cancer, being a reformed alcoholic, or spousal cheating. We can accept those- been there, done that or know someone close who has.

He comes right out & says that he suffers with mental health problems and addictions. And he does this every day. None of this- take a magic pill & all gone! If you don't think that all of this takes courage, ain't you blessed?

And even with all these major problems, none of them his fault, he flourishes. He gives hope to the hopeless. Is he perfect? Nope. And I like that. He's still in there slugging. And he takes the punches while giving them.

He didn't have to do this. Publicly admitting to serious mental illness or addiction is no fun. We expect perfection. Or at least faults that we all can identify with or have. But bi-polar? Drugs? Alcohol? Back burner, please. When was the last time you saw our local rag write about this? And not only does he admit to having faults, he fights for others having the same & often unable to fight for themselves.

What a guy. In my book- a modern day hero. These problems in my family? Yup. Up close and personal. Everytime he admits to his struggles, he gives hope to someone who believes that they are all alone and without any outlet for their illness. And he never had to do this. You just can't give this guy enough credit for what he's accomplished in my book. I heart Rep. Patrick Kennedy.

Happy 41st Birthday, Patrick Kennedy

We're practically related. Mine was Fri., his is today. I'm just a tad older- 60. He's a baby.

Biking for Mental Health

**UPDATE** "So far I've made it through the mountains of Oregon. That was harrowing, screaming down the hills at 40 miles an hour. Now we're onto Idaho, which I hope will be a bit less aggressive."

Go, Sandy! Please go to her homepage to donate. I used to think that my family was involved in this battle along. In my new journey, thought, I've encountered the fact that almost everyone either knows someone or is related to someone or has some mental illness. I recently read the fact that more than twice the number of AIDS patients have schizophrenia. And yet we publicly "know" very little about the illness & it certainly isn't on the public's agenda.

Sandy Derecktor is raising funds for mental health by biking this summer. I met her recently at a NAMI meeting. She is a Portsmouth high school teacher living in Newport.

She is trying to raise $10,000 for NAMI & promote the passage of parity for mental health issues on the federal level (thank you, Rep. Kennedy). This is a great nationwide organization with a local here in Rhode Island. A finer group of helpful, knowledgeable people you'll never meet.

-Sandy Derecktor, a high school English teacher in Rhode Island, is biking 3,600 miles across the US this summer in an effort to promote awareness in the workplace and schools against the stigma of mental illnesses. She is also trying to promote the passage of two mental health parity bills now in the U.S. Congress.-"I see so many of my students whose parents can no longer afford the medication and therapy for their kids. I really see the difference academically
with the kids who get treatment."

She is traveling with a cycling group (and her daughter, too, I think) from N.H. to Ore. Sandy has suffered from mental health issues herself. She started June 15th. Please go to her donation page.

Rep. Kennedy on Health care

This is a link for Rep. Kennedy's current work on healthcare. Recently I was made aware through personal experience of the limits of my family's insurance regarding mental health parity. 30 visits/yr. for counselling does it. You'd better be cured by then! And Medicaid is even worse. Counselling for mental health through Newport Co. Mental Health- wait a year! The Rep. has been working to change this. Go Patrick! We're lucky to have him representing our District.

Oh, that we all had Rep. Kennedy's & Sen. Kennedy's health care policies which we all pay for! Talk about parity...

Universal health care coverage- because it's time!

Good Thoughts for Sen. Kennedy

**UPDATE** The Senator has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor according to recent report. Huffpost has an interesting column with loads of info on the topic. Stay strong!

I'm hoping that he feels better soon.

Our own Rep. Kennedy seems to have had his share of "downers" lately. A hammer head in the face (ouch!), a broken bone in his hand (ow, again), and an ill Dad. Who says that politics isn't a contact sport?

Mental Illness, Meds, and Rep. Kennedy

**UPDATE** Kennedy's House bill passed. Now comes the hard part, getting another bill passed in the Senate (see Projo).

“If you have diabetes, no one holds it against you,” Kennedy said during the three-hour debate yesterday afternoon. But Kennedy said the mentally ill are still too often stigmatized, in part by insurance rules that often impose higher fees or tighter treatment limits on mental-health patients than on those suffering from physical maladies.
“It’s your fault if you wander around in the streets and you’re homeless” because of addiction or mental disease, declared Kennedy, who has framed the mental-health parity debate as a question of civil rights.

Original post:

Rep. Kennedy (our District Federal Rep) has been working in Congress for health parity for those suffering from mental illness and mental health issues. There are currently two bill versions in the House & Senate. His Dad, Sen. Kennedy, is working on the Senate side. The Senate bill is somewhat more restrictive.

"...they [both bills] require that insurers who offer any treatment for mental illness must use the same basic rules that they apply to the treatment of cancer or broken bones or other physical ailments. For example, a managed health-care company cannot impose a higher copayment for a session with a clinical psychologist than it charges the same patient for a visit to the internist." ( Projo)

The House debate and vote on the Kennedy-Ramstad bill is scheduled for Wednesday. I hope the staff keep me updated. Rep. Kennedy suffers from bi-polar, a truly debilitating condition that is incurable but can be treated. The meds can be hard, though, & often have debilitating side effects. Mental illness is often accompanied by drug/alcohol addictions (self-medicating).

When speaking to him last week he also pointed me to an N.Y. Times article in regards to the mother of all mental illnesses- schizophrenia. Schizophrenia, a most cruel illness striking young people just entering adulthood, cannot be cured. Over two million Americans have it with twenty-four million worldwide. Symptoms, though, are often be controlled with drugs making for a very profitable industry (billions). Although it would be nice if the National Institute of Health would fund more projects to actually comes up with a cure or even an explanation for this illness and others. Presently, we're not even sure how the current meds (all based on lowering dopamine- a brain receptor) work.

One new drug on the horizon promises safer & more effective treatment. It's LY2140023 & currently in the testing stage. Rather than decreasing dopamine, it's focus is on reducing glutamate, a different neurotransmitter in the brain. Glutamate ties together the brain’s most complex circuits. Even if this med eventually fails, it opens up a whole new treatment area not focusing solely on dopamine.

"...it was slightly less effective overall than Lilly’s schizophrenia blockbuster Zyprexa, but also appeared to have fewer side effects — an important finding, since Zyprexa can cause severe weight gain and diabetes. More testing is needed and FDA approval is at least three or four years away."

The actual study is published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.

"People say that there are drugs to treat schizophrenia,” says Dr. Carol A. Tamminga, professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern, in Dallas. “In fact, the treatment for schizophrenia is at best partial and inadequate. You have a cadre of cognitively impaired people who can’t fit in." (Times citation)

While newer antipsychotic drugs have been developed, the older generics are still frequently prescribed because they are cheaper & often effective: e.g. haloperidol or Haldol. However, long-term use often results in facial tics & involuntary hand movements (hand rolling). The newer ones (atypicals) help treat other symptoms of schizophrenia; e.g. withdrawal, lack of energy and motivation, and the inability to experience pleasure, more effectively. But these drugs may also can have serious side effects (weight gain, tics, heart problems, diabetes, etc.). There have been no new drugs on the market since Zyprexa in 1996 with 2005 sales of over 4 billion dollars. The overall cost of schizophrenia to the USA in 2002 was estimated to be $62.7 billion, with $22.7 billion excess direct healthcare expenses- read this as to why you should care.

"Another glutamate drug, meanwhile, has been shown in preclinical studies to reverse mental retardation in adult rats, a finding that previously appeared
impossible, Dr. Insel said. "(Times citation)

Wow! Remarkable possibilities. These new drugs also hold promise for those suffering from Parkinson's Disease.

I heart Rep. Kennedy.