RTC Conference Hosts National Experts at 17th Annual Conference
“The extent, severity, and far-reaching consequences of mental health problems in children and adolescents make it imperative that our nation adopt a comprehensive, systematic, public health approach to improving the mental health status of children.”
The President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health,
February 5, 2003
Key architects of a new national vision for children’s mental health services discussed recent recommendations to the Bush Administration, and implications for federal agencies charged with responding to their report. Their remarks were featured during keynote sessions of the 17th Annual Research Conference – A System of Care for Children’s Mental Health: Expanding the Research Base, held February 29 - March 3 at the Tampa Marriott Waterside.
“ Mental health problems among children and adolescents constitute a public health crisis for our nation,” reports the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. According to the Commission’s report, 20 percent of all children are affected by emotional disorders, which if left untreated, often lead to tragic outcomes such as poor academic achievement, failure to complete high school, substance abuse, involvement with the correctional system, lack of vocational success, inability to live independently, health problems and suicide.
On Monday, March 1, Michael F. Hogan, PhD, Chair of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, and director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health provided an overview of the Commission’s work, along with recommendations and implications for those who work to improve mental health services for the nation’s children. Remarks by national experts Jane Adams, Larke Nahme Huang, and Roy Wilson followed.
On Tuesday, March 2, A. Kathryn Power, Director of the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (CMHS/ SAMHSA) described federal plans for the transformation of the mental health services system called for in the Commission Report. Following her remarks, Research and Training Center’s Director, Robert Friedman, who contributed to the work of the New Freedom Commission, addressed current trends in children’s mental health service delivery. Dr. Friedman is co-author with Beth Stroul of A System of Care for Children and Youth with Severe Emotional Disturbances, the monograph first describing system of care principles and values in 1986.
About the Conference
Hosted by the Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health (RTC), Louis de la Parte Institute, University of South Florida, the annual conference has become the principal national forum for exploring research and evaluation findings related to the implementation of systems of care that ensure children with emotional and behavioral disorders (SED) can learn, work and thrive in their communities. Participants include researchers, policy makers, administrators in the public system, and organizations representing parents, consumers, advocates, professional societies, and practitioners.
Concurrent sessions began Monday morning and ran through Tuesday evening, offering a variety of paper presentations and symposia regarding current issues in children’s mental health services research. Representatives from several federal agencies that support research initiatives were in attendance, and hosted a special session highlighting future directions and trends in funding for research and evaluation.
The conference also featured a symposium by Latin American researchers, with a reception in their honor March 1. Representing Peru, Colombia, Chile and Brazil, honorees included Dr Irene Rizzini, President of Childwatch International, Dr. Carmen Lopez, who helped implement the national School Mental Health Program in Chile, and Dr. Victoria Lidchi, coordinator of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. Guest Speaker for the evening was Frank Sanchez, former Tampa mayoral candidate, who worked for former Gov. Bob Graham and in the Clinton administration. His accomplishments include developing a program to train teachers and community leaders in conflict resolution in Colombia.
Additional information on the conference, can be found at http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu/rtcconference/rtcconf.htm or by contacting the Center at 813-974-4661.
The Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, USF, was initiated in 1984 to address the need for improved services and outcomes for children with serious emotional/behavioral disabilities and their families. Since that time, the Center has conducted research, synthesized and shared existing knowledge, provided training and consultation, and served as a resource for other researchers, policy makers, administrators in the public system, and organizations representing parents, consumers, advocates, professional societies, and practitioners.
The Center is jointly funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education and the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration under grant number H133B990022.
The Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) is a department of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. The faculty and staff of CFS are committed to enhancing the development, mental health and well-being of children and families through leadership in integrating research, theory & practice.