VA Underspent on Mental Health
Officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs failed to spend all of the funds planned for expanding mental health services to veterans in 2005 and 2006, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office. In the report, GAO officials call on VA leadership to improve how it tracks resources for the agency's mental health strategic plan initiatives. The report, which was requested by Democrats on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, found that VA failed to spend $12 million of $100 million planned for expanding mental health services in fiscal year 2005 and failed to spend approximately $42 million out of $200 million in planned funding in fiscal year 2006. The GAO report also found that the agency's tracking of funds for the plan was “inadequate.” While VA officials did not comment on the findings, the report's conclusions have drawn criticism on Capitol Hill. “This report reinforces the need for the VA to present a real plan for how they intend to care for the thousands of new veterans returning home with mental health needs,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. “The VA plan must address the need to increase spending to meet demand, the need to fully disperse current funding, and the need to ensure that mental health funding is being spent on mental health initiatives.”
Underage Drinking Legislation
Congress has passed legislation aimed at curbing teen drinking and better coordinating the efforts of federal agencies in this area. The legislation, the Sober Truth on Preventing (STOP) Underage Drinking Act (H.R. 864), was expected to be signed by the President at press time. The bill authorizes grants to prevent binge drinking by college students and calls for research on the scope of underage drinking. The legislation enjoys support from both the medical community and the alcohol industry. The National Beer Wholesalers Association said the bill provides federal, state, and local governments with the tools they need to help prevent underage drinking. And the American Medical Association praised Congress for passing the first national underage drinking prevention legislation. “Alcohol is the number one drug of choice for young people, and the age of initiation keeps getting younger. Alcohol causes memory and learning impairment, possibly irreversible in the adolescent brain,” AMA president-elect Dr. Ronald M. Davis said in a statement.
Support for the Drug Czar
Members of Congress signaled their support for the White House Office of National Drug Policy by voting to authorize the office for another 5 years. The legislation, H.R. 6344, also reauthorizes the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and authorizes increased funding for a program to coordinate federal, state, and local efforts to reduce drug trafficking and production. Having a national “drug czar” at the cabinet level is essential to coordinate federal drug policy, said Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-Del.). “Today, we must continue to make drug policy a priority,” he said in a statement. “This legislation retains as its central goal that every administration and every president be held accountable when it comes to drug policy.”
Mental Health Research Grants
A mental health research funding organization awarded a total of $19 million to support studies on the causes, treatment, and prevention of severe mental illnesses in 2006. NARSAD: The Mental Health Research Association awarded grants to 273 scientists from around the world last year. The various research projects include studies to identify the genes associated with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and depression; to explore the role of stress in the development of mental illnesses; and to examine the effects of antidepressant use during pregnancy. The organization, which is supported by donor funds, has distributed more than $199 million in grants since 1987. “This group of scientists will extend the research potential for mental health,” Constance E. Lieber, president of NARSAD, said in a statement. “Their work will continue to accelerate progress in the study of all areas of psychiatric disorders.”
Von Eschenbach Confirmed for FDA
Almost 9 months after he was first nominated to be commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach was finally confirmed by the Senate by an 80–11 vote in the wee hours of the 109th Congress. Confirmation came after an 89–6 vote to limit debate on his nomination. The naysayers included Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who voted against invoking cloture and against confirmation. Sen. Grassley has been one of Dr. von Eschenbach's most vocal critics. As chairman of the Finance Committee, he and his staff have been investigating what they call an inappropriate approval of Ketek (telithromycin). Sen. Grassley maintains that Dr. von Eschenbach has stonewalled committee investigators, and in an agitated floor statement during the nomination vote, he accused the nominee of hiding documents and intimidating FDA employees who dissented. With Democrats' taking control of Congress, Sen. Grassley will lose his Finance Committee chairmanship. But he warned his colleagues across the aisle that Dr. von Eschenbach was a prime illustration of concerns about the lack of Senate oversight of the Bush administration. “I believe we need to send a message to the executive branch that it's not okay to impede congressional investigations. It's not okay to limit the Senate's access to documents, information, and employees of the executive branch,” the senator said.