After Pennsylvania lawmakers redirected $100 million from the state budget for adult mental health programs to in-school services, state Sen. Maria Collett and state Rep. Mike Schlossberg have called for the money to be restored back to adult mental health services.
"All of us have people in our lives who have dealt with or are still dealing with the impacts of mental health concerns,” Collett said. "Whether these experiences are rooted in trauma, genetics, or both, we know that the number of adults with mental illness has increased in recent years.”
Nearly 34% of Pennsylvanians have struggled with mental illness or substance use disorder in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, she added.
"As a nurse, I know firsthand how gaps in mental health care treatment can harm patients, their families and the health care professionals who are doing their best with limited resources,” Collett said.
In 2022, Pennsylvania lawmakers agreed to spend a portion of the state’s federal stimulus money on adult mental health services and established the Behavioral Health Commission made up of lawmakers, doctors, and other professionals in the field to make recommendations, according to an article by Spotlight PA.
After 17 hours of hearings, the commission delivered a reportin October 2022 and Collett and Schlossberg introduced legislation. The legislation would provide grants for services like telemedicine, workforce retention and development, integrating behavioral health in substance use disorder treatment, and delivering psychiatric care in a primary care setting, according to Spotlight PA.
"Ultimately, we developed recommendations that were reflective of what the advocates and experts requested,” Collett said.
The two believed the legislation would be passed into law or included in this year’s budget. Instead, the $100 million was put toward an existing grant program for school-based mental health services.
"To have the hard work and recommendations of this commission cast aside is nothing short of devastating for the many patients, loved ones and organizations who were eagerly awaiting the health promise by this modest influx of funding,” Collett said.
