FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : Monday, May 19, 2014
CONTACT: Sara Rabern (605)773-3215
Attorney General and Department of Social Services Unveil
Behavioral Health Initiatives
PIERRE, S.D – In August 2012, Attorney General Marty Jackley and 35 other Attorneys General, reached a record $200 million dollar settlement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson for alleged improperly marketing the antipsychotic drugs Risperdal, Risperdal Consta, Risperdal M-Tab and Invega. The complaint alleged that Janssen engaged in unfair and deceptive practices when it marketed Risperdal for unapproved or off-label uses for treatment of a variety of conditions including, depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and in the geriatric population for the treatment of dementia. South Dakota’s share in this settlement was $2,588,188. The South Dakota Consumer Protection Division has worked closely with South Dakota Department of Social Services (DSS) to find appropriate channels to use these settlement dollars for treatment, education, training and outreach programs. Some additional monies are earmarked for advanced officer training to help identify mental illness and crisis intervention and to provide guidance to officers in dealing with the mentally ill.
“The Janssen settlement has provided the opportunity to turn a bad situation into the ability to address mental illness here in South Dakota. The South Dakota Department of Social Services has worked diligently to ensure that these monies will be used to provide support to those directly affected by mental illness,” stated Jackley.
DSS Secretary Lynne Valenti noted, “This funding is a great opportunity to provide additional resources, education and training to directly benefit individuals with mental illness and their families.”
Funding will aid several different programs including:
• Family support services program, recommended by the Governors Behavioral Health Services Workgroup, which will provide flexible services and supports to families of individuals with behavioral health problems.
• Educational sessions for families of individuals with mental illnesses.
• Prevention services including screenings and referrals and educational programs for youth.
• Crisis intervention training for law enforcement and applied suicide intervention skills training for other first responders.
For questions regarding the DSS programs contact Kristin Kellar at (605)773-3165 and questions regarding the advanced officer training contact Sara Rabern at (605)773-3215.
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