Mental health bill to revamp board

The Hattiesburg American, 1/27/9

Another mental health-related bill pending in the Legislature would reconstitute the board and revise the qualifications of the executive director of the state Department of Mental Health.

The nine-member state Board of Mental Health would add a nurse and two consumers, under a bill now before the House Public Health Committee.

The current board includes three psychiatrists, two family members, a social worker and a clinical psychologist.

Randy Easterling, a psychologist who specializes in addiction medicine and is also chairman of the Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians’ Legislative Committee, said such changes to the makeup of the board are a step in the right direction.