Commissioners Call For Funding To Meet 'Critical Mental Health Needs' In Bucks Co.

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — Bucks County's commissioners wrote to state lawmakers Wednesday calling for increased funding to fortify strained mental health treatment services locally and statewide.

Commissioners Bob Harvie, Gene DiGirolamo, and Diane Ellis-Marseglia unanimously approved a resolution on the issue and sent a letter to the county's state legislators outlining concerns and urging action on long-running shortfalls in Mental Health Base Funds.

“Certainly anybody who has spent any time in the mental health field knows this has been a problem in America for a very, very long time,” Commissioner Chair Bob Harvie said.

Pennsylvania's mental health programming took a hit in 2012 when the state cut $84 million from Mental Health Base Funds. The state also has not made cost-of-living adjustments to the funding since 2008, the county reported in a news release.

Coupled with the decreased resources, community-based mental health providers are seeing demand for services far outpacing state funding levels.

Mental Health Base Funds have funded critical programs, including the training of more than 600 law enforcement professionals on techniques for de-escalating encounters with people experiencing mental health crises. The funds also have helped provide hundreds of struggling county residents with supportive housing. Thanks to programs funded by Mental Health Base Funds, the commissioners’ resolution says, suicide rates in Bucks County have decreased despite national upward trends.

But more funding could help close clear gaps in county services.

Increased resources would allow the county to better assist people without health insurance in accessing mental health services, the resolution says. The county could also ensure employees and providers are paid better wages as they serve the county’s most vulnerable populations.

Additional funding could also help the county increase training efforts in schools, and would be critical in developing a crisis response center to alleviate strain on emergency rooms.

"Without adequate and sustainable funding, county governments like ours will not be able to meet the critical mental health needs of our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians," the commissioners wrote.

The commissioners’ plea to the General Assembly is part of a statewide effort calling for increased mental health funding led by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.

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