Question by junebug21: Where can I find real statistics that shows mental health programs are worth the expense?
I live in Illinois. My governor Pat Quinn is cutting funding to mental health services. I want to write a letter to protest. . Can you help me brainstorm some good reasons why these cuts will cause more harm than good? I want the letter to be very persuasive. I really would like hard statistics. I think giving people proper treatment might save money in other areas such as unnecessary hospitalizations and incarceration, homelessness, etc. However I am looking for real statistics to back up my claims.

Best answer:

Answer by Charles & Judy C
I used to live in Illinois and I think that the cut backs in social programs is terrible! But that state is in big trouble financially and the only hope may be to raise taxes or to rely more often on the private sector for this help.
In the 1960’s Medicare and Medicaid became available to chronically mentally ill people and so the state facilities that housed them opened their doors and let these poor souls go out on their own. Only local mental health facilities which ran on tax dollars in every county were able to provide outpatient care and home facilities for these chronically ill people. With the cut backs, more and more people are turned away even though the population (naturally) grows every year.
Every Illinois county has a “zone center” for the indigent mentally ill. These state hospitals (Elgin, Tinley Park, Manteno etc.) are run on state funds. You have no idea hopw dilapidated, understaffed and inadequate some of these places are. Yet they struggle on year after year.
If you are looking for statistics, look in your local phone book for your nearest board of health department and get the phone number of your local mental health center for the county. Call them. Talk to the director. They have to submit budgets to the state and they probably keep statistics on how their care load has risen. So ask them how many people they gave service to last year and the year before.
You won’t believe how much these centers are needed!
Also, call your local homeless shelter and get their statistics and call your local United Way office and find out how the demand for their services has grown.
Good luck.
Mental health is always on the bottom of any state’s list for funding…those people are invisible to everyone else.

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