HARRISBURG, Pa. — Mental health care is top of mind in the commonwealth as National Mental Health Awareness Month begins.
It’s an issue Lisa Schaeffer, executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania said has been underfunded for more than a decade.
"The mental health system in Pennsylvania really is crumbling," Schaeffer said.
"Substance abuse disorders, child abuse, domestic issues all stem from mental health," added Jim Struzzi, a Republican state representative for Indiana County.
Struzzi is co-chair of the Pennsylvania House Mental Health Caucus.
He works alongside Democratic co-chair Representative Michael Schlossberg, who knows the value of mental health treatment personally.
"I see a therapist on a regular basis, I’ve been suicidal, and I know just how bad that darkness can be," said Schlossburg, who represents Lehigh County.
Schlossberg said there aren’t enough places to find that treatment in Pennsylvania or enough professionals to provide it.
"Biggest crisis in mental health, bar none, is lack of people who are in this field because you can know you need help, have the insurance to cover that assistance or have the cash to do it and if there’s nobody to answer the phone, it’s all kind of irrelevant," he said.
Schaeffer said it’s leading to lengthy wait times, some patients telling her they couldn’t get an appointment for 6 months.
Last year’s budget included an additional $20 million dollars for county mental health funding and the Shapiro administration proposed another $20 million dollar increase for this year.
Shaeffer said it won’t be enough to cover the gap.
"We’ve seen rising costs the same as everybody else in our workforce and our operational costs and that $20 million will generally help us to keep things status quo," she said. "While appreciated, it’s really just a drop in the bucket to addressing the need that we are seeing out there in Pennsylvania."
That’s why the County Commissioners Association is asking the state for a $250 million increase to help improve services.
It would be funneled through the state’s funding formula and split amongst Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.
"I think it’s a realistic number," Struzzi said of the association's ask. "I have asked the county commissioners association to show us how that money would be used."
Schlossberg seemed to doubt the $250 million could come in a single year, saying it will take time to boost the state’s system.
"In order to address it, we need to build the political will to say ‘you know what? I want to spend money in that area. I don’t care what it takes,'" Schlossberg said.
It’s not just funding. Lawmakers say the state needs to reassess its mental health system and work with providers to get Pennsylvanian’s the care they need.
"It is a problem that we need to take a big picture, long-term view of," Schaeffer said.
"We need to invest dollars to create more programs, more beds, and more access to care," Schlossberg added.
"Mental health really makes our communities safer, and it gives people opportunity," Struzzi said. "It helps people get back into the workforce and I think that’s something that we can all agree on."