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TO: California Treatment Advocacy Coalition
FROM: Carla Jacobs & Randall Hagar
DATE: December 23, 1999
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Last Sunday, NBC Nightly News had a story on the pending reform of the LPS Act. It strongly supported our cause. Ms. Elvira Gonzalez bravely spoke of how our inability to help those in need of treatment caused the death of her daughter and her daughter's two children. Dr. Xavier Amador, Dr. Keith Haraszti, and our own Co-coordinator Carla Jacobs all spoke eloquently of why we need to treat people who are deteriorating because of mental illness before they hit rock bottom.

We were perplexed, however, that the reporter claimed that NAMI National Director Laurie Flynn opposed LPS reform and also when we then saw a clip of Ms. Flynn which, placed in the context of how she was introduced, seemed to confirm this. What made this even more strange is that there is that the national NAMI policy clearly supports establishing laws that provide for assisted treatment systems like the one Assemblywoman Thomson has proposed.

The reason for this inconsistency was that there had been a miscommunication at NBC. One of the Executive Producers of the Nightly News explained:

"It turns out that NBC Nightly News made an error in reading an original script and issued the following apology to Ms. Flynn for mistating her position on reform: 'Please accept my heartfelt apology for the erroneous information in our recent story about the issue of involuntary treatment for the mentally ill. The characterization of NAMI's position on the California reform proposals was inaccurate. The error was a result of my misreading the original script...

We will do an on-air correction this coming Saturday to set the record straight.'."

Prior to NBC's apology Ms. Flynn issued a press release to make clear that both she and the National NAMI adamantly support LPS reform. In it she wrote: "The reform initiative is consistent with NAMI policy, and I consider it a model of positive, exemplary leadership."

We knew this all along, but it is still nice to see it in writing.

For Immediate Release
December 20, 1999

Contact: Bob Carolla
703-516-7963

On Saturday, December 18, 1999, the NBC Nightly News incorrectly reported that NAMI considers reform proposals being considered in California as-in the words of NBC reporter Colleen Dominguez-"too extreme," which "would deprive patients of their rights."

The characterization of NAMI’s position was simply wrong. NAMI supports many needed reforms in America’s mental health system, including the passage of more effective outpatient commitment laws and expansion of programs for assertive community treatment.

In an interview with NBC last week, I discussed these topics and others following the release of the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, but without any focus on specific legislation. Subsequent to the interview, California Assemblywoman Helen Thomson (D-Davis) and State Senator Don Perata (D-Alameda) publicly released AB 1028, which seeks to combine such reforms with a $350 million commitment to community services. The reform initiative is consistent with NAMI policy, and I consider it a model of positive, exemplary leadership.

In the December 18^th broadcast, NBC included a segment of an interview with Carla Jacobs, a member of NAMI’s national board of directors, who noted: "We have to intervene in a proactive manner, because the earlier the treatment is given the better the prognosis." My own interview segment stated: "Out of sight, out of mind, is the way our society has wanted to deal with mental illness for too long. We have to engage people in cooperative participation in treatment."

California Treatment Advocacy Coalition
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