The TEN Project believes that successful advocacy for these patients will occur through the use of existing strengths within the advocacy, academic and policy communities.

The TEN Project is working with the following organizations and others to educate physicians, advocates and policymakers by gathering and synthesizing data and other literature, convening workgroups and conferences and disseminating issue papers.

Together, we will eliminate barriers to health care for people with chronic physical and mental disorders.

Partners

Mental Health Part D

Medicare’s new prescription drug benefit, Medicare Part D, will start January 1, 2006 and will mean changes for many people receiving treatment for mental illness. That’s why several leading mental health organizations have joined forces to create www.mentalhealthpartd.org, an essential source of information on the new drug benefit.

Medicare prescription drug coverage is especially important for persons with mental illnesses. Many of these individuals are currently without drug coverage or are receiving their prescription drugs through Medicaid. For those without coverage, the new benefit means that they will now be able to participate in a prescription drug program; for those who currently have Medicaid, it will mean they will have to learn how to navigate a whole different system.

It is important that psychiatrists, non-psychiatric physicians, other mental health providers, staff of community mental health and integrated health centers, and consumers and their families understand how the new Medicare prescription drug coverage will affect them, and what they can do to ensure people with Medicare receive the appropriate medications. In all likelihood they will play an integral role in helping individuals obtain access to the drugs they need under Part D.

The www.mentalhealthpartd.org website was created by a partnership comprised of the following mental health organizations: the American Association of Community Psychiatrists, the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, the American Psychiatric Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, the National Mental Health Association, and Treatment Effectiveness Now.

Georgetown University, Department of Psychiatry

The Department of Psychiatry of Georgetown University Hospital provides comprehensive programs in clinical patient care, education, research and community outreach. In the tradition of the broader mission of Georgetown University Hospital, the specific missions of the Department of Psychiatry are:

• To provide compassionate, ethical, and scientifically competent patient care
• To provide outstanding educational programs for psychiatry residents and medical students
• To advance mental health knowledge, training, and services through innovative and comprehensive research
• To provide mental health outreach to the underserved in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area

The Center for Mental Health Outreach is dedicated to improving the mental health of underserved children, adults, and families in the Greater Washington D.C. area through education, public awareness, direct clinical care, and collaboration with social service providers.

Medicare Rx Education Network

The Medicare Rx Education Network provides information and assistance with outreach and enrollment for the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. The network is chaired by former U.S. Senator John Breaux. Members share an interest in educating Medicare beneficiaries about the new Medicare prescription drug benefit and will work closely with the appropriate federal agencies to obtain up-to-date information to ensure that information disseminated by the network about Medicare Part D is factual and accurately conveyed, thereby pre-empting confusion about the benefit and equipping beneficiaries and their caregivers to make informed choices.

By sharing information with each other about member organizations’ independent efforts, collaborating on activities, and identifying ways to work together, the network aims to eliminate duplication of efforts and maximize the effectiveness of outreach efforts. The network does not engage in legislative activities or take positions on pending legislative or administrative policies related to the Part D benefit and its implementation.