Joe Holt lost his job. As he sat there with a gun on his lap, the voice in his head told him, “You’re a waste. Give up now, do it now.”
Patsy, his wife, came into the room and said “What if tomorrow you get what you want?”
For an hour more he sat there with the gun, fighting the voice in his head that was commanding him to end his life.
Mental illness is not often talked about but this event, which had a positive outcome, happened in Lee’s Summit Mo. and was told in the New York Times.
Stories like these rarely make headlines except when they end in tragedy. Men and women who work in crisis services and come to the aid of those in need do their jobs quietly and ask for nothing in return.
Even though mental health agencies provide valuable community services they have seen their funding spiral downward for years.
This was highlighted last week when we published a story about the Mental Health Center of East Central Kansas and director Bill Persinger said he has had his budget cut by almost 2 million dollars over the last several years.
The cuts in Kansas have become so great that the Mental Health Center of East Central Kansas is now finalizing plans to reduce services. The reductions could mean longer wait times for services and higher costs to patients.
Mental Health agencies receive their funding from state and county agencies. With tight budgets they are often one of the first agencies to get cut.
When Sam Brownback took office he talked of streamlining government and helping those who can’t help themselves.
Now that state revenue surpluses are being created, talks will begin of what services to fund. It is time restore funding for mental health services in an effort to prevent community tragedies
Chris Walker
Editor & Publisher
ZaneRokklyn (anonymous) says...
Thank you, Chris!
August 11, 2011 at 9:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )