COLUMBIA — Mental health supporters from around the state
gathered this morning at the Statehouse to urge lawmakers to remember mental
illness in issues ranging from the budget to the treatment of mentally ill
inmates.
Sen.
Ray Cleary, a Georgetown Republican, told the crowd that he has filed
legislation allowing all counties to hold a referendum to designate revenue
from property taxes to support local mental health centers.
Tony
Keck, director of the state Department of Health and Human Services, said that
because of the work of mental health supporters and their leaders, “we’ve
started to change the way we spend those (Medicaid) dollars.”
We’re working right now to put more money into support of
housing, into support of employment, all those things we’ve been told for years
are needed,” he said.
Paton
Blough, a Greenville mental health advocate, told the crowd that a circuit
judge’s order in January hopefully will end unconstitutional conditions for the
mentally ill in the state’s prisons.
“So,
we are here today to challenge our leaders and to educate them on the systemic
failures of our broken institutions, and to encourage them to take action,” he
said. “We’re here to come together and realize just how bad the mental health
crisis is in South Carolina, and how much we desperately need more than lip
service from our leaders.”
Check
back with GreenvilleOnline.com as this story develops.
News Source: www.greenvilleonline.com
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