In February the National Conference of State Legislatures released the fourth in its series of reports describing the states' response to the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision, which required them to place persons with mental disabilities in community settings when the treatment professionals deem that setting appropriate, the individual does not object, and the placement can be "reasonably accommodated."

Authors Wendy Fox-Grage and colleagues wrote that during that four-year period, "new initiatives to better serve people with mental illness have been minimal."

They noted, however, that in the previous year, 18 states described efforts to enhance the quality of mental health services. Among those efforts:

"The States' Response to the Olmstead Decision: A 2003 Update" is posted at<www.ncsl.org/programs/health/forum/olmstead/2003/03olmstd.pdf>.