Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I have worked in the mental health field in Indiana since 1992. Please support the needs of our citizens by restoring the funding for mental health needs.

Indiana, and the country as a whole, has never adequately funded the behavioral health infrastructure and the COVID-19 pandemic has made this even more obvious. Decisions about funding an adequate behavioral health infrastructure must be made now and the Senate Appropriations Committee's recognition of this critical need is noteworthy and appreciated. Additional funding will be required to build the crisis intervention infrastructure that this state so desperately needs.

At the same time, the Appropriation Committee recognized the $100M in federal funding dedicated to mental health and addiction as a result of the COVID-19 response, as well as the funding expected from the Opioid Settlement fund, also created in this budget amendment. These dollars will be dedicated to opioid treatment, education, and prevention programs.

I appreciate the hard work of the advocates and legislators who have made this increase possible, but the work is not done! HB 1001 must still move through the Senate and then presumably to a Conference Committee.

Please join us in working to maintain the funding added to the Severe Mental Illness and Recovery Works budget-with the hope that full funding restoration will still occur in Conference Committee, provided the April economic forecast for the state is positive.

Sincerely, Jeanne Trifone Chesterton