Action | Mental Health Skill-building Services |
Stage | Emergency/NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 12/11/2013 |
I have worked in the mental health field for over 8 years and have experianced many changes as mental health provider. This change will effect a far greater portion of our population than I believe than anyone realizes.Our mental health system is already overwhelmed and broken. Our jails are over populated and as we all saw on the news recently in Virginia our hospital beds for those who require inpatient mental health care are often full. I understand that these changes come down to increased spending and the states desire to reduce it, however this is not the approach needed. These efforts are misplaced. The mentally ills population continue to be treated as second class citizens when it comes to recieving care that is needed. Diabetics are not denied medication and the ability to see a nutritionist simply because they have not yet needed hospitalization. However we are now being asked to turn away individuals who would benifit from treatment simply because they have never been hospitalized for there mental illness or because they happen to be under the age of 21 and live at home with there parents. This is an absurd idea and it will be one that results in a much larger problem that our state already faces. If our hospital beds are full now just wait and see how bad this will turn out. Not only will our hosptials be overwhelmed but so will the jails and our schools. Once these individuals get turned away for our services many parts of there lives will begin to be unmanagable and others who are not trained and skilled at providing the care needed to these invididuals will be forced to do so. I have encountered many individuals that with the prevenative support and clinicial care of MHSS system have reduced there risk of hospitilzation greatly. Please reconsider.