Dearth of Public Funding, Stigma Associated with Mental Health Contribute to Challenging Environment for Providers
by M. Jansen Voss, Partner
I have represented mental health providers for more than 10 years in lawsuits ranging from medication errors, patient-on-patient assaults, improper use of restraints, and failure to provide appropriate supervision. I have had the opportunity to represent in-patient psychiatric facilities, drug rehabilitation facilities, day-habilitation programs, and out-patient community mental health providers as well as psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health nurses. The often unpredictable nature of the patient population presents mental health providers with unique challenges. Many people with mental health needs also have complex medical needs further compounding their mental health needs.
But perhaps the most challenging issue facing mental health professionals is the lack of public funding for mental health. This lack of funding affects:
- a person’s ability to access mental health care,
- the scope and extent of mental health care, and
- the retention of highly skilled mental health professionals.
This article discusses the story of Tyler Haire, a 17 year old with multiple mental disorders who spent three and a half years in a Mississippi jail waiting on a psychiatric examination following an indictment for aggravated assault. In August 2017, the state had 102 patients awaiting evaluation in the state hospital’s 15 bed forensic unit. During his time in jail, Tyler received none of the medications he was prescribed as a child and was never visited by a psychiatrist.
Tyler’s story is not unique. Sticking our heads in the sand and funding larger correctional facilities are not answers. The answer is increased public funding for mental health and a concerted effort to lessen the stigma associated with mental health conditions.