OUR VIEW: Mental health needs at critical level

Published 5:00 am Sunday, September 17, 2017

Alabama’s limited financial capacity is threatening to push the state in reverse in many key areas of life, including mental healthcare.

With an antiquated budget structure, lawmakers some years ago shut down state facilities for mental healthcare and moved the responsibility to community-based programs. The problem with the plan is that little or no money came along with the plan as promised.

Four local judges during a panel discussion Friday at the monthly Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce Community Luncheon touched on the problems Alabama’s failed mental health system is having on individuals, families and communities. The issue is beginning to spill over into the judicial and prison systems and law enforcement.

Several cases of tragic incidents have occurred locally in which mental health issues were cited as a factor. A federal lawsuit is already in place because of the inability of the Alabama prison system to provide mental healthcare. Local law enforcement officials are seeing more cases of mental illness in the Cullman County Correctional Facility and doing their best to find help for those individuals in a state with limited resources.

The mental health issue, however, is not just about the criminal system. District Judge Kim Chaney said some individuals without prior criminal records are struggling to find help and sometimes find themselves in court because of offenses committed in desperation.

The judges were all complimentary of the Mental Healthcare of Cullman and the efforts the organization puts forth daily to provide services for the community. The organization simply needs more funding and options available.

Mental health is a communitywide and statewide issue. Police are having to train more in the front line of dealing with situations that pose dangers to families and others. The courts are struggling to find a place to send people who need longterm care. The spillover of the state’s broken system is leading some people to prison.

Chaney said the issue must be addressed at the legislative level and encouraged residents to urge lawmakers to find funding solutions that will vastly improve mental health care.

When mental healthcare is available and funded adequately, the results are often rewarding for the individuals in need of the care. Such successes can hold families together and our communities stronger.

We join with the judges to encourage lawmakers to take the mental health issue seriously and find the funding that is needed. Turning over the care of patients to community-based facilities and professionals is fine, but they need better funding and facilities to accomplish more for Alabamians.