Your Mental Health

This booklet has been produced as part of the ‘Your Mental Health’  awareness campaign, which aims to improve awareness and  understanding of mental health and well-being in Ireland. In planning this campaign, we asked Irish people in a major national  survey about their awareness of and attitudes to mental health and
what it means. The responses were mixed. While most Irish people  agreed that anyone can experience a mental health problem (85%),  most people also admitted that if they had a problem they wouldn’t
want other people to know about it (62%). The challenge for the ‘Your Mental Health’ awareness campaign is to  make it okay to talk about mental health in everyday life. It is something  that can be good or bad and is an important part of all of us.  This booklet aims to:

• highlight some of the things we can do to look after our mental health,
• encourage us to look out for the people around us, and
• give an overview of some common mental health problems.

The booklet also lists some of the organisations and agencies that  provide advice and help on mental health issues. The ‘Your Mental Health’ campaign has been developed by the HSE  National Office for Suicide Prevention, in consultation with voluntary  and statutory partners, as part of Reach Out – the National Strategy  for Action on Suicide Prevention. The booklet was reviewed by  Sandra Hogan, Aware; Brian Howard, Mental Health Ireland; Kahlil  Thompson Coyle, Schizophrenia Ireland; and Dr Rachael Cullivan,
Irish College of Psychiatrists.

Privacy and Your Health Information

Your Privacy Is Important to All of Us:

Most of us feel that our health and medical  information is private and should be protected, and we want to know who has this information. Now, Federal law
• Gives you rights over your health information
• Sets rules and limits on who can look at and  receive your health information


Your Health Information Is Protected:

By Federal Law Who must follow this law?

• Most doctors, nurses, pharmacies, hospitals,  clinics, nursing homes, and many other health  care providers
• Health insurance companies, HMOs, most  employer group health plans
• Certain government programs that pay for health  care, such as Medicare and Medicaid
What information is protected?
• Information your doctors, nurses, and other health  care providers put in your medical record
• Conversations your doctor has about your care or  treatment with nurses and others
• Information about you in your health insurer’s  computer system
• Billing information about you at your clinic
• Most other health information about you held by  those who must follow this law

The Promise of Health IT

Health IT shows promise for transforming the delivery of healthcare in the US, improving  population health and the overall efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare.  Health IT, also  referred to as “HIT,” can be defined as the use of computers and computer programs to store,  protect, retrieve, and transfer clinical, administrative, and financial information electronically  within and between healthcare stakeholders. Health IT is used in a variety of settings: in-patie (hospital, medical/surgical/ long-term care, etc.); out-patient (ambulatory ansciences; payors; public health; and others, examples:


Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
• Electronic Medical Records (EMR
• Personal Health Records (PHRs)
• Payor-based Health Records (PBHRs)
• Electronic Prescribing (e-Prescribing)
• Financial/Billing/Administrative Systems

Enabling Healthcare Reform Using Information Technology

Call to Action: 2009 is the year for healthcare reform in the United States. HIMSS believes that lives can be saved, outcomes of care improved, and costs reduced by transforming the  healthcare system through the appropriate use of information technology (IT) and management  systems.  It is essential that health IT be harnessed as a tool in transforming healthcare, improving  quality by delivering information where and when it is most needed, reducing costs, empowering  consumers in their healthcare decisions, and providing for the privacy and security of personal  health information.  To ensure that health IT is appropriately addressed in anticipated healthcare reform policy in  2009, HIMSS developed unified recommendations for the new Congress and Administration  concerning the role of health IT in healthcare reform. The recommendations represent necessary  measures to develop and sustain a robust IT infrastructure for healthcare. Policymakers should consider the recommendations components of the necessary foundation to strengthen and sustain 

the success of their healthcare reform legislation, proposals, and regulation policies.   Healthcare Reform and the Promise of Health IT: With healthcare spending in the US totaling more than $2 trillion a year and 45 million people in the US lacking health insurance, healthcare reform must be a top priority for the Obama Administration and the 111th Congress. As a proven tool for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare, health IT is essential to  healthcare reform policy. In preparation for the 111th Congress, Members are already engaged in healthcare reform deliberations, through such initiatives as the formation of workgroups and the development of healthcare reform reports. As part of his healthcare platform during the 

presidential campaign, Senator Barack Obama called for a $10 billion-a-year investment over the 

next five years to foster the broad adoption of health IT. In addition, as President-elect, Barack 

Obama is now considering including health IT as part of an economic stimulus package to be introduced in early 2009. Health IT, such as electronic medical records (EMRs), electronic health records (EHRs), personal  health records (PHRs), payor-based health records (PBHRs), and electronic prescribing (eprescribing), shows promise for transforming the delivery and payment of healthcare in the US,  and improving population health and the overall efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare. The electronic exchange of health information made possible through health IT enables providers,  payors, and consumers to effectively access health information, while reducing medical errors and eliminating unnecessary or duplicative healthcare services and costs. Recognizing the  benefits of health IT, federal and state governments, in collaboration with the private sector,  facilitate many initiatives to help foster the use of health IT.  Health IT holds great promise for healthcare throughout the US. The full benefits will be reaped when policymakers, including Members of Congress and the Administration, appropriately  address the following issues: 

• Leadership 

• Interoperability  

• Privacy and Security 

• Electronic Payments 

• Consumer Empowerment  

• Funding