Governor Candidates Address Mental Health Issues

Candidates for Governor, Republican Tom Foley,  Independent Tom Marsh and Democrat Dan Malloy took questions from a large group of mental health advocates at the Keep the Promise Children's Mental Health Forum at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, Friday.

There was general agreement among the candidates that in an era where a multi-billion dollar deficit is expected, that the state could not abandon its commitment to mental health services.  All candidates also agreed with the forum sponsors that community-based mental health services offered by not-for-profit and non-state agencies often provided these services more effectively and efficiently.

These sentiments echoed the words of Keep the Promise leaders Eric Arzubi, Alicia Woodsby and Jan van Tassel.

"The emotional-behavioral health of our children is central to the future of our State," Arzubi said.  "It affects school outcomes, physical health, the economy, drug and alcohol use, family life and public safety."

"We made promises as we moved people out of long term institutions," Malloy said.  "And we didn't keep our promises.  We have slowly starved those (not-for-profit) agencies who have provided those services.  We've got to find a way through the budget crisis that does not do further harm to the safety net.  And this is the safety net."

Marsh also agreed that keeping promises is at the heart of solving a problem which he characterizes as a government unwilling to make good on the words they legislate.

"It ends up in the hands of very financially-strapped municipalities to handle these problems," Marsh said, attacking the State Legislature for passing unfunded mandates which must be instituted by cities and school districts without state funding.  "If the school environment is the right place to handle these services then lets keep the promise of funding."

Foley talked about being the primary caretake for a sister who was diagnosed as a young women with bipolar disorder and "spent 40 years in and out of institutions."

Foley acknowledged that the crippled economy and the large state deficit, which he said was significantly smaller than the $5.5 billion projected by candidate Marsh, will make finding a solution difficult.

"We're not going to solve the financial problem on the backs of the needy," Foley said.  "And that includes children and mental health issues.  My plan is to move more of these services into the community.  They do a better job and cost less."

Prior to the governor candidate forum, leaders and guests of Keep the Promise emphasized that chronic underfunding has crippled the mental health system, particularly as services became sorced to community and not-for-profit organizations.  These organizations, speakers noted, provide services for far less than state services, and yet faced initial underfunding, and five years of flat funding.

While the forum advertised that it would be addressing bullying as a mental-health issue, the topic was barely touched-upon by the candidates.  Malloy indicated in his closing remarks that bullying was an important issue and that "we need to do something about it."  Marsh indicated that the state's bullying law was another example of the legislature creating a law which had to be administered by already-strapped school systems.

Alycia McClain, who has complained to the Middletown Board of Education about a bullying situation involving her daughter, and her mother Alexa McClain, spoke with candidate Malloy after the meeting.  They told Malloy that the Middletown Board of Education had not, according to them, taken appropriate action in the bullying of her daughter.  Malloy explained that he was not governor yet, and wished there was something in his power he could do to help.  The McClains gave their names to a Malloy staffer who promised to address their issues in transition to office if Malloy is elected.

"We're not talking about spending more money," vanTassel said.  "But spending less money smarter."