H.R. No. 1044 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, On January 12, 1995, Vernon State Hospital became 1-2 the first facility in the Texas Department of Mental Health and 1-3 Mental Retardation (TDMHMR) system to be recommended for release 1-4 from federal court oversight; and 1-5 WHEREAS, This day marked a great milestone for psychiatric 1-6 care in the State of Texas; TDMHMR institutions have operated under 1-7 federal supervision for more than 20 years, and it was not until 1-8 1992, with the settlement of the lawsuit RAJ v. Jones, that the 1-9 State of Texas and the federal government finally established 1-10 criteria by which Texas psychiatric care facilities could earn 1-11 release from federal court oversight; and 1-12 WHEREAS, These criteria led the former acting deputy 1-13 commissioner of the TDMHMR, Don Gilbert, to engineer the agency's 1-14 Quality System Oversight Plan, an innovative continuous quality 1-15 improvement initiative that has won national acclaim for its new 1-16 approaches to mental health care management; adopted under the 1-17 leadership of deputy commissioner Steven P. Shon, M.D., this 1-18 remarkable program has yielded impressive results throughout the 1-19 TDMHMR system and is expected to win back state control of the 1-20 Texas psychiatric hospital system; and 1-21 WHEREAS, Under the able guidance of Superintendent James E. 1-22 Smith and Clinical Director John Bateman, M.D., the staff and 1-23 doctors of Vernon State Hospital have quickly and enthusiastically 1-24 implemented this plan and, by providing the most professional and 2-1 compassionate mental health care available anywhere, have set a 2-2 shining example for all Texas medical professionals to follow; 2-3 these exceptional individuals have ushered in a new era for 2-4 psychiatric care in Texas and have, above all else, helped to make 2-5 this state a better place in which to live for Texans whose lives 2-6 are touched by mental illness; now, therefore, be it 2-7 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 2-8 Legislature hereby congratulate the staff members and managers of 2-9 Vernon State Hospital on their outstanding accomplishment; and, be 2-10 it further 2-11 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-12 prepared for Vernon State Hospital as an expression of high regard 2-13 by the Texas House of Representatives.