Mental health investments should not be a partisan issue.
I’ve worked for decades in the behavioral health field, both before and during my time serving the people of Waterville in the Legislature. I’ve been a case manager, worked in group homes and worked as a clinician on an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team. I’ve worked in partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient programs. I’ve also provided therapy in offices, our local schools and in the homes of our community members.
Through these professional experiences, I watched as a lack of funding led to the deterioration of crucial mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) care services, which harmed individuals and families that I worked with. It’s what led me to first run for office eight years ago. While we’ve made important progress as a state to rebuild these essential services, there is still significantly more work to do to invest in Maine’s mental health infrastructure.