Undiagnosed and untreated mental illnesses and/or addictions are very expensive for taxpayers. These new state budget cuts will directly translate to fewer people being able to access treatment, and thus to higher crime rates, further overcrowding of jails, increased homelessness, and undue pressures on emergency rooms, courts, and law enforcement personnel.
That’s expensive stuff for taxpayers. By comparison, effective treatment through community-based mental health and recovery agencies is an incredible bargain. The statistics are staggering: for every dollar invested in proactive community-based mental health and recovery services, we save up to seven dollars.
When people get effective treatment, they return to their families and to their jobs. That means they begin pulling their fair share of the tax burden we all share, and reconnect as neighbors, parents, friends, coaches, and community volunteers.
When severe mental illnesses and addictions go undiagnosed and untreated, the results can be tragic. Untreated depressive illness is, for instance, the number-one risk factor in suicide. The number-two factor? Alcohol and/or drugs. This Ohio budget will result in dramatically less funding for things like suicide prevention and depression awareness programs in communities. It will also make it harder for people who need treatment to get help. People will die. Some may be your friends, neighbors, coworkers or even family members. Let’s fix this.
State legislators need to assign “urgent” status to a budget correction bill that restores reasonable levels of behavioral health funding in Ohio. That’s where you come in. Please write, call, or email the Governor and your state legislators today and make your voice heard.
See a sample letter and get links to your Ohio legislators here.