PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Pennsylvania is in a crisis years in the making.
"A lot of people are somewhat in denial that mental health affects their communities," said Nate Harig, the assistant chief of Cumberland Goodwill EMS.
The over 20-year veteran of the emergency service based out of Carlisle is well aware of the issues that have plagued Pennsylvania's healthcare system.
"When we encounter [people] in a crisis, we take them to an emergency room, and they're held in that ER until they can find bed placement to get them the kind of psychological help that they need," said Harig. "We're regularly driving to Clarion, we're regularly driving to the Philadelphia area, just because there is nothing locally that we can provide for these patients who just need a little bit of mental health counseling."
Leading up to the COVID pandemic access to mental health care varied across demographic. Now, nearly 32% of adults report feeling symptoms of anxiety and depression, and about 23% report an unmet need for counseling, according to data by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
FOX43 talked to Harig two years ago during the height of the COVID pandemic about the lack of mental health care. At the time, he said Pennsylvania is beyond crisis. When asked about the situation now...
"It still hasn't gotten better. It's still the stresses of life just [not] being dealt with, and the pandemic really amplified it," he added.
The biggest need to address this issue is more money to support Pennsylvania's deteriorating mental health infrastructure.
Governor Josh Shapiro has suggested a significant boost to mental health funding in his first budget proposal. That includes $100 million in targeted funding to connect students and staff to mental health services each year for the next five years.
The governor has also called for $20 million to support county-based mental health funding, with increases each year to reach $60 million by the 2027-2028 budget.
Other mental health priorities in Shapiro's budget include a one-time $5 million allocation to support the state call centers that run the 988 suicide prevention lifeline.
When mental illness treatment needs go unmet, patients in the middle of a mental health crisis could at times run into law enforcement instead of medical providers.
"When [patients] are in the throes of a crisis, it can lead to, at best, an arrest and a criminal prosecution. At worst, it can lead to a serious altercation," said Tim Barker, York County's First Assistant District Attorney.
That's why in York County area leaders continue to build out the Co-Responder Program launched in 2021 in partnership with WellSpan Health. The program is now in 11 police departments throughout York and Adams Counties.
Angie Alvarez was York County's first co-responder and helps police engage and work with people who are in a behavioral health crisis.
"I always call it being in survival mode," said Alvarez. "When you're out there on an actual scene and they're in the middle of a crisis, you just do what you need to do to help that person get through and make sure everyone is safe," said Alvarez.
Officers who now work with Alvarez say they were skeptical of the idea of a co-responder joining the team, but have appreciated the positive outcomes since the start of the program.
"The collaboration between our department, the DA's office, other departments in county, the Co-Responders; it has been very symbiotic," said Deputy Chief Bryan Rizzo of the York County Regional Police Department. "It's really been a huge benefit for us."
Not every contact with a co-responder means interaction with law enforcement.
Last year, the Co-Responders responded to almost 1,200 incidents involving about 900 people in York and Adams Counties.
Almost half had more than two mental health diagnoses.
Out of the 899 contacts with police, Barker said only 1% led to an arrest.
"That's highly successful," he told FOX43.
Barker also added that York County officials are working on decreasing the number of people in the County Prison with mental health needs.