intergalactic ‘pipeline’ funnels matter between colliding galaxies
Date: Fri, 12 Jan 2001 10:25:35 -0800
To: "MHOCCA List" <mhocca@egroups.com>
From: "Tom Harkins" <harkins@cwnet.com>
Subject: [MHOCCA] Charts & Discrimination

A
  lot has been said about the confidentially of our med records. Most seem to agree that they should be sacrosanct, and available only to those who have our permission to provide appropriate treatment. We recently had a psychiatrist who was our Medical Director, and told us publicly that he too had been a client, or consumer. That made him a peer (to us, because of his illness). No one of us balked at that arrangement. In fact, we all felt it may have made him more understanding of our difficulties. We embraced him and his work. The same is true of any licensed therapist (even those in training, who are working under supervised conditions).

Case managers are NOT licensed therapists. Some are peers, and most are not. If they need to access charts, it should be closely monitored and supervised. It is my understanding that they are not hired to provide ‘therapy’, but rather, to help us in our day to day problems, and help guide us through the system, and get back on our own two feet. They are not qualified, by education or training, to interpret what goes on between the dr. and the client, and shouldn’t be given the opportunity to try that exercise. Ergo — no NEED to see the charts!

The Veterans Administration is staffed almost exclusively by veterans. Maybe some day the Dept. of Mental Health will be staffed almost exclusively by clients and consumers. Now there’s a thought!

We have discussed this at great length at the Adult Services Committee of our local MHB, and will continue ..

More ideas and thoughts are welcome.

All the best to all concerned

Tom Harkins