Political Quotes

“I thank Senator Blunt for his thoughtful response and for his question. I could not agree with him more. From the earliest iterations of our bill and through our conversion to a demonstration project, we have fought to make sure that this is a ground-up approach where the local communities, advocates, and patients work with the appropriate State agencies to explain what the needs are and where the needs are, and then to have these groups come together to construct a State-specific approach to providing for those needs. What our demonstration project does not intend to do is to create a top-down approach where States draft proposals without comprehensive input from local communities to create a partnership with community mental health clinics, federally qualified health clinics, and VA outpatient centers, nor does our approach intend to permit State legislatures to put obstacles in the way of communities receiving the care and services they know they need. That type of approach simply adds more bureaucracy between patients and the care they need. If we are to achieve the true aim of our demonstration project, it is simply critical that communities be intimately involved in the planning and application process. Which leads me to my final question for my friend. Our proposal lays out a demonstration project that happens in phases.…”