Insight Matters
Fall, 2001

NAMI Ohio Issues Call to Action

In the last issue of Insight Matters, Dr. Munetz addressed the disturbing fact that the public mental health system's safety net is badly frayed and needed urgent attention. Since then unfortunately, matters have only gotten worse as the state faces a growing budget deficit. An already woefully under-funded public mental health system was facing further cut-backs which would necessitate closing hospitals and other substantial cuts in services. Fortunately, Governor Taft has recognized the extreme danger our communities would face if the Department of Mental Health budget were further eroded. The Governor has proposed a budget solution that actually increases ODMH funding for the next two years. This will be very good news if our legislature supports the Governor's plan.

Our friends and great allies at NAMI Ohio have beautifully articulated the issues. NAMI Ohio calls on us to thank the Governor for supporting mental health services and to take action to urge our representatives in the Ohio General Assembly to provide similar support. Please read the words of Terry Russell, Executive Director and Judy Baumle, President of NAMI Ohio. Then go to the new OPA website (www.ohiopsych.org) , look up your state representatives and plan a visit, letter, e-mail or phone call.

Mark Munetz, M.D., Chair, Public Mental Health Committee
S.R. Thorward,M.D., Chair, Government Relations Committee and Rep. for National Government Relations

Dear NAMI Supporter:

Last week, Governor Taft announced his proposal to solve the $1.4 billion deficit in the current biennium state budget. Along with closing some business tax loopholes, spending some of the rainy day fund and significant cuts in nearly all state agency budgets, the Governor pledged support for consumers of mental health services and their families by holding the Ohio Department of Mental Health harmless from any cuts. And in fact, he ordered the legislature to increase funding to ODMH in the amount of $23 million. This will eliminate the need to close three state psychiatric hospitals. Although this is a tremendous commitment from the Governor, we know that in the future we will need to argue against the closure of any state hospitals or community programs.

This is a dramatic change from years past when mental health was not viewed as a priority service for all Ohioans. Governor Taft should be commended for listening to families and consumers and for displaying the courage to stand up for this vulnerable population in communities across the state.

But the struggle to win approval of this proposal is just beginning. The leadership in the state legislature has signaled that they intend to fashion a budget correction plan that may not include the favorable treatment for mental health services. And although the majority in the legislature and the Governor are from the same party, they often arrive at very different solutions to the same problems.

This debate promises to be conducted on a very compacted time schedule. Every day this deficit goes unattended, the cuts will have be even deeper to balance the budget by June 30th, 2003. The good news is that we will be advocating in support of the Governor's recommendation to a Republican legislature. The bad news is that we have very little time to voice our opinion and even less time to line up the kind of support we will need to ensure getting the right results.

Because this is such a critical issue, we will need all the help we can get. This letter is going out to every one of the nearly 10,000 NAMI Ohio members and supporters across the state. There has never been a time in the history of the NAMI movement when it was necessary to mobilize this many advocates on such an important matter.

We must act now and we must act together. I am asking that each of you copy this letter and distribute it as widely as possible in your local network of mental health advocates. We must reinforce this message of need for these priority services to every member of the Senate and the House of Representatives today and tomorrow and everyday for next several weeks until this proposal is approved. We are asking that you call, write, e-mail or visit as many members of the Ohio General Assembly as possible as soon as you can and as often as you can. If we leave this decision to be negotiated and modified among political interests in Columbus without speaking up loudly right now, we will have failed in our responsibility as advocates for all persons suffering with these devastating illnesses.

I have attached a new listing with the phone numbers, email addresses and mailing addresses of every member of the legislature along with maps of their district borders. We have also included the same information for Governor Taft and urge you to congratulate him for his support and thank him for listening.

This is an exciting time for families and consumers in Ohio. For the first time in many years, services for those needing mental health treatment are being identified as important and a priority by our elected officials. Local leaders and the media are telling our story and focusing attention on the debilitating effect that a broken system of care has on communities across the state. It is now up to us to hammer this message home and insure that those who are elected to represent us do so with all the necessary information needed at their disposal. Tell them today what these services mean to you, your family and your community. Tell them what they do is important to you, tell them that you need them to do what is right and tell them to support the Governor's recommendations regarding mental health. Tell them today.

Sincerely,

Judith A. Baumle
President

Terry L. Russell
Executive Director

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