As the first meeting of the Dauphin County Commissioners came to a close, George Hartwick III said he had spent the holiday break soul searching.
His top priority for the upcoming year will be trying to improve mental health care for county residents, and reduce the stigma surrounding people who are living with an illness. After a tragedy like the Sandy Hook shootings, Hartwick said, everyone wants to talk about guns, but improving the mental health system is necessary to keep people safe.
"The idea of a 10 percent cut doesn't sound like a lot to a person behind a mahogany desk," Hartwick said after the meeting. "Here in Dauphin County the 14 million for CHIPP was cut by 1.8 million."?Last year's state budget cuts pushed a system that was already overcrowded and underserved, Hartwick said. The?commissioners need to stand firm against any further cuts. He noted the cuts to the Community Hospital Projects Program.
Too often, Hartwick said, the only time people receive treatment is when they are in crisis. It's often difficult to find places in residential treatment facilities designed to help people recover and return to independent lives.
Instead, they wind up in jail for petty crimes or stuck in a cycle of shuffling between emergency rooms and their homes. Not only is this not conducive to spurring recovery, Hartwick said, but crisis treatment is often the most expensive option.
After the meeting, Commissioner Jeff Haste noted it also costs more to house a person with mental illness in county prison, in conditions that are less safe for a person with an illness, other inmates and guards.
"It's not healthy for people or taxpayers," Hartwick said.
Source: http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/01/mental_health_dauphin_county.html
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