U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy hosts discussion on mental health care bill in New Haven
New Haven Register (CT)Aug 27, 2015
Murphy has held 11 roundtable discussions in recent weeks -- most recently in
Murphy was joined Wednesday night at
"We are looking for input. We are looking for potential changes," Murphy said.
The atrium at Wilbur Cross was nearly full and many of those who spoke brought firsthand experience. Murphy said after the event that he was pleased to have had so many individuals who are either living with mental illness or have loved ones with mental illnesses come out and speak on their behalf.
"That was really important, to get that firsthand perspective tonight," he said.
The bill, according to a release from Murphy's office, "will make critical reforms to address a lack of resources, enhance coordination, and develop meaningful solutions to improve outcomes for
Murphy said one of the clear messages from the public Wednesday was that peer support is one of the best things for people with mental illness.
"I'm going to go back and scrub the bill to make sure that it incentivizes peer support programs across the country because that's a theme that I heard loud and clear this evening," Murphy said.
The bill will next go before the
"This is about making those individuals, their families and society, who are threatened with serious mental illness, whole," Cassidy said in a release.
Twenty-nine members of the public spoke Wednesday night. Murphy and Delphin-Rittman engaged with many of them during the three-minute period each of them had to speak. Issues such as the negative perception that all mentally ill people are violent were discussed, as were issued with both in-patient and out-patient care.
"You get more instructions when you go home with a broken arm than you do when your son is mentally ill," one woman said.
There are no more scheduled public hearings for the bill in
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