Statement on Loss of Sen. Paul Wellstone by NMHA President & CEO Michael Faenza

10/25/2002

From: Holly Anderson, 703-797-4306, e-mail: handerson@nmha.org Lea Ann Browning-McNee, 301-461-9351, both of NMHA

ALEXANDRIA, Va. Oct. 25 -- Following is a statement on the loss of Sen. Paul Wellstone by NMHA President & CEO Michael Faenza:

"Our nation has lost a great advocate and a remarkable person with the death today of Senator Paul Wellstone. Not only was the Senator a committed, concerned and passionate individual, he was also one of the finest elected officials I have ever met.

"Our hearts go out to the Senator's loved ones, his colleagues on Capitol Hill, and his constituents in Minnesota. The tragic loss of Paul Wellstone, his wife, his daughter, and 3 of his staff members will be felt across the nation.

"Senator Wellstone was a close friend of the National Mental Health Association. No one stood up more consistently or courageously for the ideals our 100-year-old movement holds at its center. As a nation and a movement, we have lost someone whose contribution would be hard to measure or describe.

"Senator Wellstone's commitment to justice, fairness and compassionate rational government was manifested throughout his work, but was perhaps best captured in his powerful advocacy to end health insurance discrimination against people who have mental health and substance abuse treatment needs.

"In fact, his fight for justice was waged in so many arenas, that it is difficult to convey its breadth and depth. However we particularly note, and gain inspiration from, his co-authorship of the mental health parity bill, his successful leadership on behalf of suicide prevention, his commitment to modernizing the Medicare mental health program and reforming the juvenile justice system, and his passion for correcting the inequities that plague our nation's healthcare system.

"Senator Paul Wellstone followed the path of his ideals. That road can often be rocky and without political rewards. But while his victories were not always easy, they were the victories of the just. And he will never be forgotten."

The National Mental Health Association is the country's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. NMHA works to improve the mental health of all Americans through advocacy, education, research and service. For more information, visit http://www.nmha.org.