We're abandoning a vulnerable population in our society. It's time to get serious about helping them out.
(this article also appears in today's Cincinnati Enquirer)
I’m angry. You should be angry, too. In a country where politicians can’t get elected to national office if they don’t thump on their Bibles domestically as much as they thump on their chests internationally, we pay precious little attention to the Bible, specifically the parts that pertain to the way in which we are expected to treat “the least among us.”
Thousands of our fellow citizens are trapped in a violent cycle that leads them from housing to hospital to prison to shelter, again and again. Sometimes people drop off the grid altogether. The reason for this is that we do not have enough housing options and support services for people with severe mental illness. We have laws on the books that protect the civil liberties of individuals with mental illness, but the system that exists to support them does not appropriately accommodate this freedom. Our current support system has not evolved to meet the needs of a mentally ill population with greater legal self-determination.
We have many wonderful agencies, and dedicated, competent mental health professionals caring for this population. They are providing an important service to our communities in absolute good faith. But there is more that we can do.
We have to find a way to improve the general welfare and services for our fellow citizens who find themselves making the rounds from shelter, to housing, to hospital, to prison over and over again, and to make sure that when they receive support, it is a support that allows them to experience their maximum potential for health and happiness.
That is why the Drop Inn Center is hosting a mental health forum at the Health Foundation (Ohio room) 1-4 p.m. Friday. We have assembled a panel of knowledgeable and committed professionals from every area of the system.
The goal will be to examine the current system by using case studies and, by tapping into the knowledge of our panel, to explore the issues that affect this population.
Ultimately, the panel will end up making suggestions that will improve the existing system and resources in a way that respects the civil liberties of the mentally ill, and also provides better support. Refreshments will be provided, and continuing education units will be available to social work students who participate.
Please come to this event, and if you aren’t already angry, get angry. Stay angry until we do something for our friends, family and neighbors who are stuck in this cycle. Anger is a great motivator.