Fall 2008

Toward a Brighter Future: New Opportunities for Children and Youth

This special edition of National Council
Magazine portrays the current landscape in
children’s mental health and addictions.

The magazine outlines the challenges in funding,
policy, and practice; and highlights innovative
and effective community services and supports
that are increasingly available to children and
youth with behavioral health challenges and to
their families. We point to what still needs to
be done — with all of us working together — to
provide a better future for our young people.
The magazine speaks to our progress and also to
the possibilities that lie ahead.

Children and Youth Magazine PDF

Summer 2008

Veterans on the Road Home

As increasing numbers of soldiers return home from Iraq and
Afghanistan bearing the scars of battle in the form of mental
illnesses and addiction disorders, the need for treatment far
exceeds the capacity of the Veterans Administration.
Across our nation, more than 2,000 community-based mental
health and addictions organizations are ideally equipped
to treat our troops for disabling mental and substance use
disorders and help them reintegrate into civilian life. With deep
roots in their communities, these providers deliver critical
mental health and addictions services to nearly six million
Americans annually and now they’re opening their doors and
extending their services to veterans and veterans’ families.

The veterans issue of National Council Magazine highlights the difficult
road home and what treatment organizations around the country
can do to make homecoming easier for our wounded heroes.

Veterans Magazine PDF

CORRECTION

We regret the error on pages 4 and 14 of the print issue of the veterans magazine.

The correct statistic should read "Nearly 1 in 5 (300,000) soldiers who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan have posttraumatic stress disorder or depression..."

Due to a typographical error, the number was mistakenly printed as 30,000 instead of 300,000.

Spring 2008

National Council Policy and Practice Update

The National Council offers member organizations state-of-the-science education in the areas of leadership and workforce development, change management and quality improvement processes, and research-based business and clinical practices. And we advocate for policies that expand access to effective mental health and addictions services.

Our members are committed to excellence and to providing effective services to everyone in need. And we are committed to expanding the possibilities for our members and for those they serve through the policy, community outreach, and practice improvement initiatives highlighted in this issue.

Policy and Practice Update Magazine PDF

CORRECTION

We regret the errors in the article "Medicaid Audit and Oversight Environment in 2008"  starting on page 12.

The article mistakenly states that Congress expects a sizeable return on investment from the Medicaid Integrity Program— at least $50 million annually in 2007 and 2008 and at least $75 million annually in 2009 and thereafter.

The Deficit Reduction Act does NOT establish ROI mandates or targets for the Medicaid Integrity Program’s activities. Section 6034(a) sets forth specific amounts that shall be appropriated from the United States Treasury to carry out the Medicaid Integrity Program. The statutorily mandated amounts are: $5 million for federal fiscal year 2006; $50 million for fiscal years 2007 and 2008; and $75 million for fiscal year 2009 and each fiscal year thereafter. These amounts go to pay for the cost of operating the Medicaid Integrity Program.