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AVON, Conn., Apr 02, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Magellan Health Services, Inc., the nation's leading manager of behavioral health and substance abuse benefits, has partnered with six national behavioral health advocacy organizations to further promote the principles of recovery and resiliency for those in treatment, their families and those who deliver care. Through these partnerships, Magellan will enhance its local service delivery and outreach while providing the advocacy organizations with access to a breadth of services and resources, helping to improve the lives of the consumers and families Magellan serves.

Magellan's national partnerships are with the following organizations:

• National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health (National Federation)--The National Federation is a national family-run organization dedicated to helping children with mental health needs and their families achieve a better quality of life. Magellan will serve as the national sponsor of the organization's National Children's Mental Health Awareness Week held May 4-10.

• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)--Magellan is joining forces with DBSA, a national consumer-directed organization focused on the most prevalent mental illnesses, and its members Larry Fricks and Ike Powell, nationally recognized experts on the topic of peer specialist services, to help develop interactive, online training modules to expand the knowledge and skills of Medicaid-reimbursable peer specialists and their supervisors. The modules will be available in English and Spanish and will focus on core competencies and ethics, the five stages of recovery, the role of peer specialists, and effective supervision, among other topics.

• Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health--Magellan is continuing its relationship with the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health and Miriam Delphin, Ph.D., a nationally recognized expert in cultural competence, to develop interactive, online cultural competency training modules. The modules will feature topics such as cultural dimensions of recovery, cultural identity and worldview, and identifying and reducing bias and stereotypes. Last year Magellan drew on Delphin's expertise to develop strategic plans that infuse the principles of cultural competency into the company's local service delivery model for public sector populations.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)--For the third year in a row, Magellan is serving as the national sponsor of NAMI's Provider Education Program, which has been recognized as a best practice for workforce development and training. In 2007, through this sponsorship, over 221 mental health program staff in five states participated in NAMI's Provider Education Program. In 2008, Magellan will again work with NAMI to help strengthen and expand the Program for eight to 10 NAMI state affiliates. Providers are able to attend the training sessions at no cost because Magellan covers expenses for the teaching team as well as the cost of training materials for participants.

• Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx)-- Magellan is serving as a national sponsor for NIATx's ACTION (Adopting Changes to Improve Outcomes Now) Campaign, which seeks to increase access and keep individuals engaged in substance abuse treatment. NIATx is a partnership of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Paths to Recovery program, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's Strengthening Treatment Access and Retention (STAR) program, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and a number of independent addiction treatment organizations. NIATx works with addiction treatment providers to make more efficient use of their capacity and shares strategies for improving treatment access and retention.

• United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA)-- For the second year in a row, Magellan is serving as the sponsor for a four-part training series developed by USPRA, a national organization dedicated to the practice of psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery. Building on 2007's successful training series, which attracted over 1,000 participants from across the nation, this year's training series is titled Furthering the Recovery Paradigm: People in Recovery Leading the Way, and explores the multiple ways that people in recovery are playing important roles in shaping mental health programs.

• "We are very pleased to have partnered with these organizations--all of which share a common commitment to recovery and resiliency," said Russell C. Petrella, Ph.D., president of Magellan's behavioral health division. "Together, we're stronger by joining forces to expand the reach and impact of our knowledge, services, resources and innovative approach. It's win-win for everyone involved especially the consumers and families we serve."

"DBSA is honored to partner with Magellan in advancing the work of peer coaches across the country through these innovative educational programs," said Sue Bergeson, president, Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. "We recognize Magellan as a key leader in providing innovative and consumer-centered products and services. They truly understand the importance of peer-delivered services to the recovery journey of consumers."

"Payer-provider partnerships are necessary if we are to improve the quality of service for our customers," said Kimberly Johnson, ACTION campaign director, Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment. "I'm excited to have Magellan join the ACTION Campaign partnership to help bring proven business tools to substance abuse treatment programs in their service networks. Working together, we will have a much greater impact."

About Magellan: Headquartered in Avon, Conn., Magellan Health Services, Inc. (Nasdaq:MGLN) is a leading diversified specialty managed health care organization. Its customers include health plans, corporations and government agencies.

SOURCE: Magellan Health Services, Inc.

Magellan Health Services, Inc.
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