News-Record.com

Thank you for your editorial (June 25) on the sad shape of mental health services. Thank you, too, for the two columns of Lorraine Ahearn recently.

As a career mental "healther" myself, I am especially sad to see the results of the so-called reform of the services of a few years back. In effect, the clinicians in community services were disfranchised, or if some would prefer, privatized.

They would then contract with the local administrative entity to provide clinical services to those in need. The problem has been that there were not enough dollars provided to pay for the services. At the same time there was pressure not to send patients to the state's regional hospitals.

Thankfully, the governor and both Houses of the legislature are currently moving to provide funds in the current legislative budget to take care of some of the need. It has long been due.

The history of caring for the mentally ill is fraught with instances of crisis, then some action, and then a repeat.

We are in better shape than at many times in the past, but we must be ever mindful of providing services as needed, preferably in the community, but with sufficient funding to meet the need.

J. Wilbert Edgerton
Greensboro