The Emissary, Volume 13, Number 6, August 1981 Page: 2
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,j dr.schoolar
writes
About the legislative ridersHouse Bill 656, the appropriations
bill for fiscal year 1982-83, contains
four riders concerning TRIMS. The
first has to do with the institute's
governance by the TDMHMR board
and is simply a statement contained
in each appropriation. The second is
a research rider; the third formalizes
requirements for TRIMS to provide
extramural consultation services to
other departmental facilities; the
fourth is a transfer rider. The latter
three have significant implications
for the institute and should be looked
at in some detail.
The research rider states: "None
of the funds appropriated above may
be expended prior to the develop-
ment of a written Central Office
Research Review Committee
research plan which outlines measur-
able departmental research goals,
methods by which such research
goals will be accomplished, expected
costs for the research outlined and
procedures by which the accomplish-
ment of goals outlined can be deter-
mined. The plan shall be monitored
and updated prior to the beginning of
each fiscal year and filed with the
Legislative Budget Office and
Governor's Budget and Planning
Office."
The research plan-which is a
plan for the entire department, not
only TRIMS-has been completed
and submitted. CORRC is to deter-
mine the research most needed by
the department in fulfilling its clinical
responsibilities. Goals and objectives
are formulated on the basis of a
comprehensive group of indicators
which include:
1. Diagnostic categories of
patients at first admission to state
hospitals and schools, and changes
in these categories over time.2. Epidemiologically based curves
of population changes, by age group,
over the next 20 years.
3. The department's present capa-
city to serve patients in each diag-
nostic category and age group, con-
sidering both treatment facilities and
external support services.
4. Expected changes and shifts of
emphasis in treatment approaches.
5. Research needs as determined
by a survey of facility personnel.
6. An estimate of the usefulness of
research done by departmental in-
vestigators, compared to work done
elsewhere.
Secondly, the rider requires that
the research itself and the methods
by which it is to be accomplished be
drawn so as to be readily evaluated
and measured. Is the work relevant
to TDMHMR needs and to national
priorities? Does it contribute to
basic knowledge? How does the
work relate to other studies within
the system, and to work in related
areas going on elsewhere? What are
the training uses, if any? Does the
proposed work justify its cost? Is the
research being completed on
schedule, and are there plans for
publication or other appropriate dis-
semination of the results? Answers
to these and similar questions will be
closely monitored.
The research rider puts into sharp
focus the intent of the legislature that
research be the primary function of
TRIMS, a purpose clearly stated by
the TDMHMR board in 1975 and
reiterated in Tim Graves' Legislative
Budget Board report last year. In the
main, research in the department is
at present carried out by TRIMS,
and the functions of CORRC and the
TRIMS staff overlap significantly.
The rider is specifically applicable toTRIMS; it refers to CORRC; the
association is already in place and
the assignment is welcome.
extramural consultation
The rider on extramural consulta-
tion stipulates that "at least $275,000
be expended by TRIMS per fiscal
year for 'extramural consultation ser-
vices' designed to benefit the facil-
ities. ..."
TRIMS is already complying with
the requirements of this rider. We
have, for example, conducted a
tardive dyskinesia survey in state
hospitals, and a project is under way
to standardize and code behavioral
patterns of state hospital patients.
We are beginning a study of the
incidence and prevalence of physical
disease in patients being admitted to
state facilities.
The neuropsychology section is
attempting to restructure and re-
standardize diagnostic rating scales
applicable to specific groups of chil-
dren with learning handicaps. Blood
levels of antidepressant and neuro-
leptic drugs are being run in TRIMS
laboratories for patients anywhere in
the system who do not respond to
treatment.
The psychophysiology and inform-
ation analysis sections are providing
consultation on telephone-transmit-
ted electroencephalograms, not only
for diagnosis, but to develop new
coding techniques and design
computer-assisted methods that will
allow standardized EEG screening of
patients. Other extramural services,
like the clinical consultation and
literature-search hotline, have here-
tofore escaped formal tabulation,
but these will now be included in our
catalogue of services.
With each of these programs goes
detailed follow-up with colleagues in2
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Texas Research Institute of Mental Sciences. The Emissary, Volume 13, Number 6, August 1981, periodical, August 1981; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1543611/m1/2/: accessed May 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.