Press Releases

• Payson Road Launches Self-Esteem Workshops for Children - Art Speaks for Kids (ASK)

• Payson Road Paves the Way to Recovery

• Legislative Releases
  
  

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

ASKTM, Art Speaks for Kids, Inspiring a child's spirit through the art of creative expression.  

LOS ANGELES, CA, July 10, 2003-Payson Road, a leading advocate for eating disorder prevention and awareness, announces plans to introduce a series of creative workshops for children beginning in 2004 in Los Angeles.   

Now celebrating its third anniversary, Payson Road (www.paysonroad.com) is one of the leading resources for eating disorders online receiving over 100,000 hits per day.  Artistic and creative expression have been the foundation for Payson Road's unique approach to healing.   Payson Road Founder, Sarah E. Mason's passion to help children struggling with eating disorders and other addictions prompted the creation of ASK, Art Speaks for Kids.  "I've always believed in the concept, art heals, especially where kids are concerned.  Artistic expression can give a child an outlet to openly express their emotions thus making it far easier for them to discover what really inspires them,  instead of what burdens them." stated Mason.  

Mason will team up with professional actress and acting coach, Kerry Dodd Remsen, and a team of theater,  film making and health care professionals to launch ASK in 2004. 

Through several improvisational acting, writing and dance exercises the kids learn to break free of constraints and explore their creativity.  They are given the opportunity to create their own project to be completed by the end of the 8 week session.  The workshops are not intended as a theater arts camp but more a tool to help build self-esteem through the use of artistic expression.  Each child comes out of the workshop with a sense of empowerment that can be utilized in all aspects of their lives.  

"Who wouldn't want the opportunity for their child to do something that makes them feel really good about themselves? " declared Mason.  "That is what Art Speaks for Kids does.  We give kids a chance to develop their passion--that may or may not be in the arts.  But the arts are great facilitators of life pursuits."

Details for the program including costs are still being determined.  For more information and/or how you can enroll your child, please contact Sarah Mason 310-364-1660 or email,

Payson Road 
3767 Overland Avenue, Suite 103
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Phone: 310-364-1660
Fax: 310-838-9320
info (@paysonroad.com)

The Payson Road Organization increases awareness and education of eating disorders and advances recovery through support of creative expression.

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July 12, 2001

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senators Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) today advised their Senate colleagues that the cost of implementing their new mental health parity legislation is negligible when contrasted with the cost  impact of mental illness on society.

Domenici and Wellstone today testified at a hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee regarding the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2001 (S.543), which they introduced in March.

The Senators took the occasion to unveil the Congressional Budget Office "Opponents of mental health parity have argued the costs are too great, but today, I would like to let everyone know just how affordable parity is," Domenici said. "If insurance premiums were to rise 1 percent, then I would say that is negligible compared to the societal cost and the devastating consequences inflicted upon not only those suffering from a mental illness, but their families, friends and loved ones."  

"We have seen an incredible cost impact on U.S. society due to the crowded jails, suicides, chronic homelessness and other symptoms associated with mental illnesses. At the same time, medical science is in an era where we can accurately diagnose mental illnesses and treat those afflicted. We can no longer afford to shortchange mental health coverage when parity is so affordable," he said. 

"Numerous reports have shown that fair and equitable mental health treatment can be offered as part of a health benefit package without escalating costs. Today, we have even more compelling evidence that this is so. There should be no further doubt that treatment for mental illness is a health care benefit that our country can afford, and even more important, is one that the our country should and must provide for the millions of Americans covered by private insurance. It is time to lay the issue of cost to rest, for we know that with the appropriate medical oversight, costs are low. It is no longer a question of can we afford it, but rather, can we afford not to provide health care for the millions who suffer from mental illness," Wellstone said. 

The legislation seeks to ensure greater parity in the coverage of mental health benefits by prohibiting a group health plan from treating mental health benefits differently from the coverage of medical and surgical benefits. The bill would expand the  Mental Health Parity Act of 1996, which sunsets Sept. 30. 

The Domenici-Wellstone bill only applies to group health plans already providing mental health benefits and is modeled after the mental health benefits provided through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). 

The new bill will provide full parity for all categories of mental health conditions listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM IV-TR) with coverage contingent on the mental health condition being included in an authorized treatment plan. The plans must also meet standard protocols, and medical necessity determination criteria. 

Like the 1996 law, the new legislation does not require a health plan to provide coverage for alcohol and substance abuse benefits. Moreover, the bill does not mandate the coverage of mental health benefits, rather the bill only applies if the plan already provides coverage for mental health benefits. Finally, the bill contains a small business exemption for companies with 25 or fewer employees. 

"Think about some of the wonderful things we do for heart disease today like angioplasty, bypasses, and valve replacements and the millions of people helped because insurance covers these procedures. The presence of insurance dollars has provided an enticing incentive to treat those individuals suffering from heart disease," Domenici said. "But sadly, those suffering from a mental illness do not enjoy those same benefits of treatment and medical advances because all too often insurance discriminates against illnesses of the brain. This must end." 

"In our country, and throughout the world, mental illness continues to be stigmatized as a disease for which one should feel shame. People are made to feel that they are lucky or should feel grateful when they get any coverage, even when they are routinely denied adequate treatment. Depressive disorders are not the normal ups and downs everyone experiences. They are not just the blues. 

The Senators pointed to further evidence underscoring the effectiveness of treatment for mental illnesses, noting that treatment for bipolar disorders has an 80 percent success rate, Schizophrenia, the most dreaded of mental illnesses, has a 60 percent success rate, and major depression has a 65 percent success rate. 

Comparatively, popular surgical procedures for angioplasty and atherectomy have a 41 percent and a 52 percent success rate, respectively.  

The lawmakers also pointed out that the 1996 law has not driven up health insurance costs for employers, noting that only a handful of companies nationwide took the legal exemption from the parity law because their health costs increased more than 1 percent because of added mental health coverage. 

Of American adults age 18 and over, 9.9 million suffer from Major Depressive Disorder; 2.3 million suffer from Bipolar Disorder; 2.2 million suffer from Schizophrenia; and 3.3 million suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. 

The Domenici-Wellstone bill is cosponsored by 41 Senators, including Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Robert Bennett (R-Utah), Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), and John Warner (R-Va.). 

Last year, Domenici, Wellstone, Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), and others joined to enact several new federal initiatives dealing with the mentally ill. Key aspects of their Mental Health Early Intervention, Treatment, and Prevention Act (S.2639) became law last year with the signing of the America.

These initiatives included: establishing a mental health courts pilot program for dealing with nonviolent mentally ill detainees; authorizing $185 million for programs to improve screening, diagnosis, and treatment of persons suffering from mental illnesses, including those embroiled in the criminal justice system; and, authorizing $75 million for suicide prevention programs for children. 

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Senator Hillary Clinton Testified in Support of this Bill as well.  Here is her opening statement.  
Please note the bolded section in RED that applies directly to Eating Disorders.

OPENING STATEMENT

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Achieving Parity for Mental Health Treatment Hearing

July 11, 2001 

Thank you Chairman Kennedy and Senator Gregg for taking this opportunity to examine the importance of equitable access to mental health care.  Achieving parity for mental health treatment is an important step towards ending discriminatory practices against persons suffering from mental disorders. 

The toll that mental illness takes on our society cannot be ignored.  One in five Americans over age 18 suffer from a diagnosable mental illness.   In 1997, more than 30,000 people died from suicide in the U.S.  Using disability- adjusted life years as a measure, major depression ranks second only to heart disease in magnitude of disease burden.   

Also of concern is the impact of mental illness on adolescents and children.  The suicide rate in young people has increased dramatically over the last few decades.  In 1997, suicide was the 3rd leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds.  It is estimated that eight million Americans suffer from eating disorders, most of which are adolescents and young adults.  According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 1 in 10 people with anorexia die of starvation, cardiac arrest or other complications. 

Despite the fact that eating disorders are among the most lethal of all mental illnesses, I have heard stories from young people with anorexia who say that they have been sent home from the hospital despite because they have reached their maximum number of inpatient hospital days.  The Eating Disorder Coalition for Research, Policy & Action reports that, although patients with eating disorders typically require 6 weeks of inpatient therapy, insurance companies offer an average of 10 –15 days.   

The stories and statistics are alarming, but we can help alleviate this suffering.  The “Mental Health Parity Act of 1996” was an important first step towards ensuring that treatment for mental illnesses was considered as important as treatment for physical illness.  As all of you know, the “Mental Health Parity Act of 1996” is due to expire at the end of September and we have learned from our experiences with the current legislation.   

I am pleased to be cosponsoring the “Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2001” that has been the focus of so much hard work and dedication by Senators Domenci and Wellstone.  The “Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2001” offers greater protection from discriminatory practices by health plans. 

I would like to commend Senators Domenici and Wellstone for their long- standing commitment to ensuring equitable treatment for persons suffering from mental illness.  I would also like to thank Mr. Flynn for the important work he and others at the Office of Personnel Management have done to implement mental health parity for federal employees, Lisa Cohen for bravely sharing and allowing us to learn and benefit from her experiences, and all of the other witnesses who have each come to share their unique perspective.  

I look forward to your testimonies and to working further on improving access to mental health care for all Americans.

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How You Can Help

Write your Congressmen and Women today!   For information on the Bill go to legislative releases.  For sample letters go to www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org  then click on the Federal Activities and Information. You will see the legislative alert there. There are two letters (one for Senators the other for Representatives). You can simply use the letter I wrote verbatim or change it a little to make it your own. Whatever you do keep it short and to the point. Be sure to send letters to both your Senators and Representatives. We need to especially target the House as the prediction is that the bill will have a more difficult time passing in the House. The prediction is that it will pass in the Senate. 

For anyone who needs help with who your Representatives are, please go to the following website, scroll to the box and put in your zip code.  This will then list all of your Congressional leaders. http://speakout.napster.com/  Thanks so much for having your voice be heard! We are going to get this thing passed! 

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February 2001