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Release Date: October 19, 2007
For Immediate Release
Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding
Contact: Gayla Keller, 202-280-9509
New Orleans, LA – Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding Donald E. Powell and Administrator Terry Cline of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) today visited with local leaders from faith-based and mental health groups to discuss the needs and challenges facing the New Orleans mental health community.
“As I have said from the start of the recovery effort, we have a duty to communities and to parents and their children to provide the comprehensive mental health and substance abuse services they need to recover and thrive,” Powell said.
Over the past two years, the federal government has devoted at least $338 million to address critical post-Katrina mental health and substance abuse issues in Louisiana. These resources have helped support a range of services from crisis counseling and inpatient clinical services to school-based screenings and youth suicide prevention.
“SAMHSA was on the ground in the Gulf Coast from the very beginning providing funds to purchase medication, mental health support for first responders, grants for crisis counseling, personnel and direct clinical services from SAMHSA staff. Our dedication to the recovery effort remains steadfast as we are committed to restoring hope and health in the Gulf Coast region,” said Cline.
“I thank Administrator Cline for being a compassionate advocate on behalf of those professionals on the front lines of this effort, tending to the mental health needs of our most vulnerable population,” added Powell.
HHS has provided more than $1.3 billion in federal resources to cover Louisiana’s health care costs, including funds to serve its poor and uninsured residents, provide mental health services, support primary care clinics and private hospitals, and help New Orleans recruit and retain more doctors, nurses, and mental health professionals.
For the last twenty-three months, the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding has been engaged in facilitating and streamlining various components of the recovery effort and providing key federal support and resources to local leaders. The Office of the Federal Coordinator was established by Executive Order in November of 2005 by President George W. Bush.
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This page was last modified on October 19, 2007