WSIL TV • Mental Health Budget Debate
Mental Health Budget Debate
Posted: Wednesday, May 18th
WSIL-- Illinois lawmakers are trying to trim billions of dollars in spending.
Some fear state budget cuts could lead to the closing of mental health centers like the one in Anna.
A bill that passed last week would slash funding for state-run centers like Choate Mental Health in Anna by 25%.
Funding for community-run agencies would be cut by up to 6%.
Now it seems the threat of cuts has turned service providers against one another.
Today Arc, a group that represents those with developmental disabilities, tried to convince legislators to close at least four state-run mental health facilities.
They say the $180 million in savings should go to group homes instead.
"We're your neighbors, we're your friends, we need some support…We have a solution for our situation. The state needs to close four of those state institutions," says Illinois ARC Director Tony Paulauski
Suggesting funding for people with mental disabilities be shifted from large state run facilities, like Choate Mental Health in Anna, to smaller, privately run group homes.
Rita Burke President of Friends of Choate is horrified.
"You could call it soul-less. Where are these people to go? Almost every person who is in a state operated center has been somewhere else first," says Burke.
Burke is not only an advocate for state-run disability centers, she's a mother of a patient.
"His brain is injured. He doesn't have an off button," she says.
Burke says her family moved from Georgia to southern Illinois just so her son could access Choate.
While it's not certain Choate would be one of the centers to close, she says any sort of budget cuts there are cruel.
"I don't think most people would say, lets target the most severely disabled people, people who cannot be served anywhere else but in the state operated disability center," she says.
Burke says community based centers don't have to serve everyone-- especially if it's too costly to provide one-on-one attention.
"My son has been expelled from several community or private settings," she says.
But some lawmakers are siding with Arc-- saying state run centers are inefficient and outdated.
"For a long time the states systems for helping the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill have been at the mercy of large dinosaurs," says State Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria.
Burke is headed to Springfield to try to influence legislators.
While the General Assembly approved the cuts, it's part of an ongoing budget process, so details could still change.
No action has been taken on the Arc group's suggestion to close state-run mental health facilities.
By: Christen Craig : wsiltv.
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