(Our view) Griffith family starts fund for change

Published 5:00 am Saturday, June 9, 2018

The family of the late Stephen Griffith made a generous donation to the Cullman Area Mental Health Foundation this week, launching what is hoped will be a community-wide effort to provide far-reaching mental healthcare.

Griffith, a long-time attorney who was respected and served his community well, was killed by a man who authorities say carried a history of mental illness through his adult life. The assailant did not know Griffith, but had become convinced Griffith had impacted his life through a legal case in which the attorney had no involvement.

That tragedy, along with other incidents reported in recent years, sounded an alarm for the community.

Several years ago the state closed hospitals that were valuable resources for providing emergency and long-term care for residents with mental health issues. The idea that emerged on both the state and federal levels was to provide more care at the local level instead of moving patients away from home and family.

In some respects, the idea seemed legitimate. But once the decision was implemented, responsibility was dumped on communities with no funding to establish adequate care.

Neal Morrison, a former legislator from Cullman County who also served in former Gov. Robert Bentley’s administration, has been working with a coalition of area residents representing medical, law enforcement and judicial leadership to take action before more tragedies occur.

Morrison, who has discussed mounting problems in schools, a high suicide rate and the rising number of people unable to obtain healthcare, medicine and counseling. His point is the Cullman area community, known for taking the initiative to solve problems, needs to once again step forward.

The state may eventually do something to repair and improve mental healthcare, but that will take time before anything significant occurs.

Stephen Griffith’s life was cut short for reasons that will never be completely understood. What is understood, however, the problems related to mental health are becoming worse.

Mental healthcare should never have been pushed aside through budget cuts. The decision to slash a type of healthcare that is only growing in demand was a mistake.

The Griffith family made a tremendous donation of $25,000 through R.E. Garrison Trucking in memory of a beloved citizen who cared about Cullman. The donation is also a call, an urging for action, so residents with mental health needs can find help.

We applaud the Griffith family for coming forward with the donation and a message of urgency. We encourage others who are capable of contributing to the Stephen K. Griffith Memorial Fund to do so. Many community leaders are stepping up to take the Cullman area forward in addressing mental healthcare, and they, too, receive our heartfelt thanks.