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A collection of bills that could make needed improvements to Maine’s broad mental health care system are at risk of languishing in Augusta because of a lack of funding.
We understand that there are a lot of demands for state funds, including surplus revenues. And that significant investments are slated for mental health services through a supplemental state budget that will soon be finalized by lawmakers.
However, many of the bills in this package, including bills to help train and hire more social workers and to increase children’s mental health services in rural areas, carry relatively small price tags for the differences they can make in the lives of Mainers.
As Malory Shaughnessy, the executive director of the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services, recently told the Bangor Daily News editorial board, Maine’s system of care is falling short because it lacks enough resources at a time when the demand for mental health services is increasing. Mental health programs, like many other services, are also strained by ongoing difficulties in hiring and retaining workers.