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Oversight of Adult Homes for the Mentally Ill a Very Public Problem

An Opinion by Carolyn S. Hedlund, PhD
Letter to the Editor to The New York Times, written May 1, 2002

People with Serious Mental Illnesses Marginalized, Stigmatized and Victimized

I am very pleased to see Clifford J. Levy and The New York Times devote such extensive coverage to a topic that has been generally ignored for decades. As "Broken Homes" (news articles April 28, 29 and 30) makes painfully clear, people with serious mental illnesses suffer in ways most of us cannot imagine. It is bad enough that people with serious mental illnesses are marginalized and stigmatized; now we know how victimized they are by a system routinely unable to provide critical care for people with nowhere else to go.

Long Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) Advocates for the Elderly

In Westchester County, several adult homes benefit from the Mental Health Association's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP), in which volunteers advocate for the frail elderly residents in the County's nursing and adult homes. These ombudsmen work to ensure that the rights of residents in long-term care facilities are protected, that their care is the best it can be and that they are treated with dignity and respect. LTCOP is the only program serving long-term care residents in Westchester County.

New York State Must Pass Budget that Addresses Crisis in Community Mental Health

While New York State has a long way to go to improve oversight of adult facilities, the State can begin to do the right thing now by finally passing a budget that begins to address this now very public problem. Governor Pataki and the Legislature need to look at recruiting and staffing problems caused by substandard salaries for those who work in community mental health. They need to put the money where it is needed and provide the services that are vital to people with serious mental illnesses. They should not be allowed to ignore this constituency. It has gone on for far too long.

(Carolyn S. Hedlund is the Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of Westchester County.)

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