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EDITORIAL: Mental health care reform missing pieces

Fort Worth Star-Telegram - 6/3/2017

June 03--Just because the Texas Legislature session is over doesn't mean the fight for mental health care reform is anywhere near done.

Last year, House Speaker Joe Straus commissioned a House select committee to study the state's mental health problem.

The antiquated system needed an overhaul. The committee was to recommend how this might be achieved.

In the first meeting, Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, noticed the committee's importance.

"What I am really struck by is the level of interest out there in the work this committee is going to do and a real desire to see the Legislature tackle this issue in a meaningful way."

And so it did -- to a point.

More than $400 million has been set aside for mental health care reform, about $300 million of it going to repairing, updating and expanding the crumbling state mental hospitals.

About 20 bills were filed to improve mental health care, but House Bill 10, House Bill 11, House Bill 12 and House Bill 13 were the heavy artillery.

Each focused on areas spotlighted by the committee: HB 10 strengthens mental health parity laws, HB 11 focused on early intervention and education in public schools, HB 12 created diversion programs for criminal offenders and HB 13 provides grants for community-based mental health programs.

All four of these areas needed to be addressed for a true mental health care reform. Only two will see the Governor's desk -- HB 10 and HB 13.

The Legislature did tackle the pressing issue in a meaningful way, but important pieces to the reform were left on the cutting room floor.

With HB 11 and HB 12 dead, the state runs the risk of letting early intervention and diversion programs fall through the cracks.

Early intervention is the best way to tackle mental health issues, and more than half of the nation's criminal inmate population has some mental health issue.

These are the areas that badly need help.

But all is not lost. If signed, HB 10 and HB 13 would pave way for a better state mental health care system.

It's a great start, but there's much more to be done.

Texas must work diligently toward mental health care reform whether the Legislature is in session or not.

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(c)2017 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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