Pike commissioners to state: Fund mental health care

Posted 6/2/22

MILFORD, PA ― The Pike County Commissioners voted on May 11 to request  funding from the state for community-based mental health services.

“Our system collectively has been stretched …

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Pike commissioners to state: Fund mental health care

Posted

MILFORD, PA ― The Pike County Commissioners voted on May 11 to request  funding from the state for community-based mental health services.

“Our system collectively has been stretched to the breaking point,” said commissioner chairman Matthew Osterberg. “To prevent further suffering and invest in the recovery from the pandemic, we’re asking the governor and legislature to make an investment in mental health services now.”

In 2012, the approved state budget for human services and mental health program funding was cut by 10 percent, or roughly $84 million, forcing programs to close and putting the human services system into a vulnerable state, the commissioners said.

Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the problem worse.

Now the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania and other community stakeholders are calling on the leaders in Harrisburg to increase mental health funding and provide an ongoing funding commitment for years to come.

That would not only fill the gaps in service but would also ensure that counties are able to develop and sustain programs to fit the needs of their communities.

Studies have shown increases in suicide, issues with substance and alcohol use and treatment for anxiety and depression as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commissioners noted. Counties were already seeing the system stretched dangerously thin before the pandemic, and now demand for services is at an all-time high.

At the same time, human services providers around the state have sounded the alarm on a growing staffing crisis, which subsequently generates even longer waitlists and reduced services overall. The lack of sustainable funding impacts our communities, the commissioners said, including increased wait times in emergency departments, increased mental health needs in the schools and increased calls to law enforcement for mental health-related responses.

“A substantial investment of state dollars is needed to rebuild and strengthen community crisis services, residential mental health programs and other locally-provided care,” said commissioner Ronald Schmalzle. “That will stabilize mental health services and assist hospitals, other community resources, and our county jails.” Those institutions, he said, are becoming de facto safety nets “when traditional access channels are pushed beyond capacity.”

The resolution was passed unanimously by the Pike County board of commissioners and will be circulated to state legislators, the governor’s office, and media outlets. Residents should contact their local legislators and the governor’s office to ask for an investment in mental health care, the commissioners said.

“We need state leadership to step up on mental health funding and services in Pennsylvania,” stated commissioner Tony Waldron, “Now, more than ever. We’re in a real crisis.”

As of press time, the 2022-2023 state budget was still being negotiated by the legislature, the governor and the administration.

mental health, COVID-19 pandemic, mental health services, Pike County

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