Schwertner: Mental health issues should remain a priority
Abilene Reporter-NewsAug 27, 2016
Schwertner, an orthopedic surgeon, grew up in
As chairman of the
And as "leading voice" on the
Those new dollars have been used to increase access to community mental health options, expand wraparound services, develop a robust crisis intervention system, and implement a number of new programs designed to divert people with mental illness from county jails into more appropriate and cost-effective care settings, he said.
But adequately addressing the many challenges that plague the system is complicated and ever-changing, he said.
For example, as local mental health authorities have begun to provide more effective crisis stabilization services, thousands of low-acuity mental health patients are being diverted from overburdened state hospital systems into more appropriate care settings.
But those state hospitals now find themselves struggling to treat those left.
"The most severe forensic and high-acuity patients have come to increasingly dominate the populations of our state hospitals," he said.
By the same token, as effort has established more successful jail diversion programs throughout the state, there has been a corresponding increase in inpatient forensic treatment in the state hospital system.
In June, Schwertner called a hearing of the Health and
Through that hearing, it became clear that examining the state's approach to inpatient care is vital, as is eliminating remaining barriers that prevent the criminal justice system from working with the state's mental health care system in ways that best represent the interests of both individuals and society, he said.
One of
Of 30,000 children in the
The problem is particularly dire in rural areas, with nearly 200 of the state's 254 counties designated as mental health professional shortage areas.
As part of the previous legislative session, Schwertner launched the Mental Heath Professional Loan Repayment Program, a state-funded grant program providing student loan repayment to mental health professionals who agree to treat patients in poorly served regions.
"The program will soon be making commitments to more than 100 new mental health providers," he said.
But although that's an encouraging start, it only "scratches the surface," he said, future growth requiring increased collaboration between
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