Originally published: . Volume 8, No. 4. Source pages: 7.
The Fourth Annual Mental Health Legislative Forum was held March 31, in Baton Rouge. This year’s Forum was co-hosted by Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (LAMFT) and Louisiana Counseling Association (LCA). Chairs for this year’s Forum were Howie Brownell, Government Relations Committee Chairman, LAMFT, and Dr. Mary Feduccia, Government Relations Committee Chairman, LCA.
For the fourth time members of the behavioral health professions met to discuss their various positions on legislation that is being proposed for the Louisiana legislative session.
The First Legislative Forum was held in 2014, and co-sponsored by the Louisiana Counseling Association and the Louisiana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
In 2011, after the 2010 “Behavioral Health Professional Working Group,” failed to meet her goals, Senator Willie Mount, at that time Chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee threatened to consolidate boards in the community because of “constant bickering.” She said she was left with no other options other than to introduce legislation to consolidate these boards.”
Senator J.P. Morrell said that working with the different groups in the mental health area should be like working in a team, but instead, “It is like warring fiefdoms.”
One of the original organizers of the Forum, Cindy Nardini, previously told the Times, "We [LCA] had a vision of getting the associations together to discuss and collaborate on the bills of interest to our members and clients and when possible speak with one voice to the legislators.”
Community leaders in behavioral and mental health attended the Fourth Annual Mental Health Legislative Forum last week, co-hosted by Louisiana Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (LAMFT) and Louisiana Counseling Association (LCA). Chairs for this year’s Forum were Howie Brownell, Government Relations Committee Chairman for LAMFT, and Dr. Mary Feduccia, Government Relations Committee Chairman, for LCA. The Forum came into being to enhance cooperative resolutions outside of the Legislature, for what Senator J.P. Morrell referred to as “warring fiefdoms.” Above are (from man in front, center of photo, counterclockwise) Christian Dean, Brenda Eccles, Kelly Tyner, Howie Brownell, Mary Feduccia, Don Hidalgo, Maralon Mangham, Adrianne Trogden, and John Fanning.
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