NAMI-DE Policy & Legislative Positions:

2008 Public Policy Platform
Public Policy Platform on Involuntary Commitment

2008 Questions for Candidates

Legislation

  1. Mental Health Courts: Support the establishment of mental health court so that offenders with mental illnesses will be sentenced to the appropriate mental health system. Presently this is done on an ad hoc basis with treatment available on a limited basis. A Federal grant will set up the court and a special CTT.
  2. Medications:  Support funding the budget in full so that all Division of DSAMH consumers shall continuously receive their prescribed medications.  Previous budgets included savings, which were not accomplished.
  3. Housing: Support full funding for group homes and supervised apartments.
  4. DPC: Support reallocating DPC budget funds so that patients being integrated into the community shall receive appropriated follow up and care. $4.7 million nursing funds could be reclassified as flexible money.
  5. Parity: Support full parity for mental illnesses so that all DSM IV illnesses are covered.
  6. Olmstead plan: Support the creation of a commission to oversee and the funding to complete the Olmstead plan.
  7. State Mental Health Plan: Support funding for a comprehensive statewide, mental health plan so that we have a blueprint of how we will meet mental health needs for all Delawareans in the next 5 years.
  8. Housing discrimination: Support changing local zoning to provide exemptions to mental illness group homes as is afforded to developmental disability homes so that zoning is uniformly applied to homes for persons with disabilities.
  9. Involuntary Commitment: Support legislation that provides an outpatient Patient’s Bill of Rights and allows involuntary outpatient commitment at a level below the dangerous standard so that objective commitment criteria are used and patient rights are protected.
    Click here for entire Public Policy Platform on Involuntary Commitment  
  10. CMII and Prisons: Support equal standards of treatment for mental illnesses in prisons as through DSAMH and improve the CMH system so that mental heath services will meet the needs of the states mentally ill population.
  11. Attendant case: Support providing attendant care for people with mental illnesses so that it will be available to mental health cases as well as developmental and physical disabilities patients.