Letter: Boards can help address mental health crisis
There's an urgent crisis in Illinois regarding mental health, drug abuse and developmental disabilities. Whenever a tragedy like the Highland Park shooting occurs, there is an outcry for more mental health services, yet little progress is ever made. Currently, the state of Illinois ranks 35th in spending on mental health and 43rd in spending on developmental disabilities.
This November, citizens of Vernon and Wheeling Townships can make a difference in this critical situation. There's a referendum on the November 8 ballot to establish Community Mental Health Boards in each township, which would collect and allocate tax dollars for mental health, substance abuse and developmental disability services. The funds are taxed locally and stay local; they are not funneled through the federal government, state of Illinois or local counties. These boards address the unique needs of their communities. In Vernon township, the average homeowner would only pay an additional $49 per year to support a mental health board, but nearly $1.5 million would be raised.
What will passing this referendum and establishing a Community Mental Health Board mean to you and your family?
• Improve the ability to act quickly when families are in crisis.
• Reduce gaps in services, such as long waiting lists or arbitrary cutoff limits.
• Increase screenings for prevention and early detection.
• Provide comprehensive services targeted to the needs of the local community; ensuring preventive and therapeutic programs are streamlined, accessible and affordable.
Similar referendums are on other ballots in Addison, Lisle, Naperville, Schaumburg, Winfield and Wheeling Townships and in Will County. Over 90 Mental Health Boards currently operate in Illinois, with some being in existence since the 1960s. Let's do something about Mental Health instead of just talking about it!
Joanne Johnson
Buffalo Grove