Budget Crisis Causes Mental Health Care Concerns
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From the West Alabama Newsroom– The looming state budget shortfall has mental health officials in Selma speaking out about the impact deep budget cuts could have in the community.
Cahaba Center executive director Lafon Barlow says a proposed 11-percent cut in funding — would mean a one point one million dollar loss of revenue.
Barlow says that would cut programs and services to hundreds of people with mental illness and developmental disabilities.
“We will have more people in the emergency room with mental health issues. The jails will have more people with mental health issues who have no other place to go,” she said.
“With those kind of funding cuts I’m worried that we may have some persons with mental illness who actually end up homeless because their families cannot take care of them and they would have no place to be.”
