Vermont Gets Lesson in Ills of Mental Health Budget Cuts

December 1st, 2009

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With concerns about state budgets growing more intense around the country, a number of mental health services and organizations have been feeling the pinch as programs and staff numbers are cut. Though such services are often early targets in times of financial crisis, the effects can be devastating, as Vermont lawmakers recently heard in a session aimed at re-thinking heavy-handed cuts. A county police sheriff reported that a resident, freshly released from prison, had called two hospitals asking to be put on observation due to unsettling urges to act out violently towards women. The man was denied service at both institutions, and was forced to turn instead to the police, who are often ill-equipped to handle those with mental health concerns. After considering the case, the state’s lawmakers noted that while budget concerns remain challenging, greater attention will have to be paid to ensuring that reasonable assistance and care services are in place.

 

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