This article is written and submitted by Marianne Clayter. Thanks, Marianne!

With all the debate going on these days about medical hospitals needing to add psychiatric units to their facilities, I want to write a few thoughts about my personal experiences.

I am a consumer who has Medicare due to receiving social security disability. It is with Medicare that I entered a stand along psychiatric hospital for the first time. Now with Medicaid I cannot be a patient at this same hospital again.

Medicare pays 80% of inpatient hospitalizations and has a maximum cap on the number of inpatient days allowed in a psychiatric hospital facility. I used up my allotted days a long time ago.

We thank Mr. Harvey Rosenthal, Director of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (a largely consumer member and operated organization) for sending this timely article. From the Huffington Post 9/24/09

NOTE: THESE PERSONAL NOTES WRITTEN BY MR. CHESTER ARE RELEVANT TO ALL OF US.

On July 24, 2009, President Obama invited disability advocates to the White House to celebrate the 19th anniversary of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). Chester Finn was there representing SABE, Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered.

During the celebration President Obama announced

US The US Congress has proclaimed the week of September 14, 2009 as National Direct Support Professionals Week. We want to thank the many Direct Support professionals across North Carolina who have both the skills by appropriate training and the heart by personal passion to promote more independence and happiness in the lives of their clients. We also recognize the Council on Developmental Disabilities for having promoted up-to-date training and increasing respect for our direct support providers across our state. We wish all a fine weekend!