Advocates Hope Legislation Can Avert Mental Health Care Crisis
By Anthonia Akitunde in News on May 23, 2009 9:15PM
All eyes are on Springfield as the General Assembly debates legislation affecting mental health funding in Chicago and Illinois.
Mental health advocates hope the bills will pass and flush the system with millions of tax dollars to keep services and centers up and running.
Of particular interest to advocates?
- a non-binding resolution for the state to make sure allocated mental health care money goes where it is needed and not to other services;
- a bill making timely payments to community agencies mandatory;
- and a bill proposing an increased alcohol tax to pay for mental health services.
All measures are expected to be voted on before the General Assembly leaves May 31, according to Chi-Town Daily News.
Without these measures, the quality and number of services available to the city and state's mentally disabled will continue to "nose dive," said Suzanne Andriukaitis, executive director of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Greater Chicago.
In a Chi-Town Daily News report, Andriukaitis said that if clinics continue not having money available to pay basic operation costs and their staff, jobs will be cut and clinics will have to "serve fewer people who need care."
Sadly the decline in services is all too familiar to many mentally disabled Chicagoans and their caregivers. Last month Major Daley saved four South Side mental health clinics from closing. Federal stimulus money will be used to keep them open, he promised.