Gibson lauds mental-health care bill

July 08--Pending legislation aimed at overhauling federal policy regarding mental health care would be important for residents of the four-county area, local officials said Thursday.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2016, according to an announcement from its co-author, Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook. If signed into law, the legislation would commit new resources to psychiatric care and support individuals and families coping with mental health challenges.

Specific goals include growing the number of pediatricians and primary care doctors trained in behavioral health; expanding access to assisted outpatient treatment and hospital stays for adults and children; removing legal hurdles to securing care for loved ones; and amending Medicaid regulations to broaden coverage for mental health services.

The bill is "really important" for families in Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie and Chenango counties, especially Medicaid beneficiaries, Gibson told The Daily Star, because "it makes it far easier to secure inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care at facilities like Bassett."

"Mental health crises can tear families and neighborhoods apart. Unfortunately, social stigma and financial constraints lead many rural residents to go without appropriate care and support," Gibson said Thursday. "I am really excited about this bill because its many reforms empower our neighbors who are coping with serious mental health challenges to focus on healing and it commits resources to block grants that fund local mental health programs. That has ripple effects throughout a community, from public health and safety to workforce readiness."

The mental health system is broken, according to Gibson. As a longtime advocate for mental health and suicide prevention programs and the husband of a licensed clinical social worker, Gibson is particularly passionate about the issue, he said.

"Too many families lack access to treatment, including hospitalization, for conditions like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression," he said. "Sadly, this has led to an increase in violent acts and homelessness. The shuttering of psychiatric facilities over the last few decades was not accompanied by any significant new approach to caring for people in desperate need of help."

Since the termination of psychiatric services at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta and the cutting back of psychiatric inpatient unit beds at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, local patients suffering with mental illness don't have many immediate options, sources have told The Daily Star.

Susan Matt, director of community services at the Otsego County Department of Health, said the effort to remove "legal hurdles to securing care for loved ones" is especially important. Many times, people with mental illnesses are unable to make rational decisions, yet they still have the right to decline help, which is not always the best for them, she said.

The new legislation would be great for the four-county area, as well as the rest of the country, she said.

"I think we sometimes think our area is alone in this but it's everywhere," Matt said Thursday. "Mental health has been a topic that's been really pushed aside and hasn't been on the radar. It has been drastically underfunded. We're grateful that there's more attention now on valuing mental health care and funding it."

___

(c)2016 The Daily Star (Oneonta, N.Y.)

Visit The Daily Star (Oneonta, N.Y.) at www.thedailystar.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.