NATIONAL COMMITTEE against MENTAL ILLNESS

SUITE 1215 + 1028 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N. W. » WASHINGTON 36, D.C. + 296-4435
/ Executive Director MIKE GORMAN

CO-CHAIRMEN

Ly >
Mrs. Albert D. Lasker /\ \
Mrs. Florence Mahoney
SECRETARY \

Mrs. Allmon Fordyce

August 5, 1965

The Honorable Melvin Laird
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D. C.

Dear Mel:

As you probably know, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted
an increase of $30,300,000 over the House for the National Institutes
of Health during fiscal 1966. This is somewhat of a disappointment to
Mrs. Lasker and me since we told you at lunch several weeks ago that
we hoped the Senate figure would cover the $40 million of approved
research and training grants which could not be funded this year be«
cause of lack of funds.

. The restrictive nature of the Senate increases can be illustrated
by the funds for mental health, an area in which I am most interested,
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted an increase of $7 million -«
$6,500,000 for training and $500,000 for additional personnel in the
nine NIMH regional offices to provide technical assistance to the states
and local communities in cornection with the new community mental health
center program.

The Senate report notes that during fiscal 1965 approved training
grant applications from 245 institutions in the amount of $9.5 million
could not be paid this year because of lack of funds. The Senate ree
port further notes that the sum it voted for mental health training «+
$89 million -- is $11 million below the training projections which
accompanied the mental health centers legislation of 1963. To quote
the Senate report:

“The present training programs of the Institute not only fail

to meet the future needs of the community mental health center
program, but fall far short of providing the funds needed to
support training programs which have already been reviewed and
approved... The committee is convinced that the entire community
mental health center program is in serious jeopardy unless the

pace of the training programs is accelerated to provide the com-
\ petent personnel that will be needed to staff these centers."
The Honorable Melvin Laird August 5, 1965

page two

Wisconsin is one of fourteen states which have community mental health
services acts which authorize state appropriations to assist local communities
in matching federal funds for the construction and staffing of mental health
centers.

I am, as you know, interested in the programs of all of the Institutes.
For example, the Senate increase of $5 million voted specifically to the National
Cancer Institute for the virus-leukemia program, is an absolute minimum, since
retention of the Administration budget figure would mean that not even one single
new contract could be awarded in this area.

I therefore make this earnest plea to you to help John Fogarty hold the
full Senate figure in conference. Knowing how much you have done for us in the
past, I am confident that you will help us at this critical moment.

Cordially,

Mike Gorman