Federal health officials need to do a better job coordinating help for people with serious mental illness, according to a new report by a government watchdog agency.
At least 112 federal programs run by eight government agencies -- including the departments of Labor, Justice and Defense -- aim to help people with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression.
Mentally ill people often need several kinds of help, from psychiatric care to housing and employment assistance, says Richard Frank, assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the Department of Health and Human Services. Veterans have their own special needs.
Yet no one is coordinating programs to make sure that patients are getting the help they need and to prevent agencies from duplicating efforts, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). There are 47 programs, for example, to address homelessness.
[For more of this story, written by Liz Szabo, go to http://www.usatoday.com/story/...tal-health/23242035/]
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