Fed report decries lack of coordination of mental health services

A new report from a government watchdog agency harshly criticizes the lack of coordination among federal agencies that provide mental health services (“Mental health care uncoordinated, report says,” USA Today, Feb. 11, 2015). 

The new report from the Government Accountability Office found that no one is coordinating the 112 federal programs that aim to help people with serious mental illness. The programs are run by eight government agencies, including the departments of Labor, Justice and Defense.

"This GAO report is a much-needed wakeup call," says Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., chairman of a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which met Wednesday to ask questions about the report.

"The federal government's approach to addressing mental illness is a convoluted and disjointed mess," says Murphy, a child psychologist. "Shame on us if we don't take action and work on fixing the systemwide failures identified in this report so that we can focus resources on helping those in desperate need of medical services."