HARRISBURG, Pa. — Hundreds of people marched at the State Capitol Building on Wednesday, as they called on lawmakers to invest more funding into mental health resources and professionals across the Commonwealth.
“Every day, we see that there’s more people that need our services and we just can’t reach them, because there’s not enough funding," said Amber Baum, a mental health worker at New Visions.
“We haven’t had any new money infused into mental health for over 10 or 12 years, and I mean nothing," said Christine Michaels, the CEO of NAMI Keystone Pennsylvania.
Despite an increase in funding in the 2023-24 state budget, advocates argue it's not enough. Advocates say limited funding is leaving many Pennsylvanians waiting for treatment, as providers are unable to meet the increased demand for mental health resources.
“Our building is becoming too small for our people, so we can’t be taking in all these new people who need services," said Baum. "We don’t have the funding or resources to expand our building, get more vehicles, and get more staff, if it’s needed.”
The current budget provides $ 20 million for base funding of mental health resources at the county level. An additional $ 100 million for mental health needs at schools.
However, House Democrats are calling for another $ 100 million for adult mental health services.
“I know demonstrations like this are sending a message to our colleagues," said Rep. Mike Schlossberg, the Democrat co-chair of the House Mental Health Caucus. “We need our friends in the State Senate to talk with us and come to some sort of agreement so that we can this funding out the door and help the people who need it most.”
Rallygoers hope the march will send the message to state lawmakers and help get more relief to Pennsylvanians in need.
“We’re going to continue to ask, we’re going to continue to advocate," said Jamiel Alexander, an advocate at the rally. "Because we’re literally at this place in our world where mental health not only matters, but we need to have these services.”