Phoenix, AZ – Budget cuts for services such as behavioral health care, family intervention and drug treatment will wind up adding millions more to the state deficit in a matter of months, according to advocates for at-risk adults and children. Emily Jenkins, president and CEO of the Arizona Council of Human Service Providers, says the state has reduced outpatient mental health services for uninsured working Arizonans.

"When you don't provide that treatment, then what you end up with is people in a residential treatment facility at maybe five hundred dollars a day, or you end up with people in a psychiatric in-patient hospital at eight hundred, a thousand dollars a day."

Jenkins says those denied outpatient care will also become much sicker and require longer treatment, and she says eliminating in-home services for families with abuse and neglect issues means children will be removed to costly foster homes.

"So you've gone from a three thousand dollar a year service to 18 thousand a year, which is what it costs the state to provide foster care services for a year."

On a similar note, Jenkins says denying someone outpatient substanceabuse treatment at 14 hundred dollars a year often results in prison time costing 24 thousand dollars a year.

Jenkins says the cuts are producing a human cost as well. For example, she says children coming out of foster care have a tough time both socially and in school.

"There are studies that indicate that children who are in foster care for extended periods of time get as much post-traumatic stress disorder as someone who is a war veteran."

Lawmakers made the cuts to remedy a 1.6 billion dollar budget gap this year, but must now overcome a shortfall twice as large for next year.

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is urging lawmakers to resolve the state's grave budget situation with a combination of spending cuts, tax increases and federal stimulus money.



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As mental health challenges continue to rise among young people, advocates across North Carolina are pushing for increased access to mental health services in schools.

They are watching the upcoming election for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction closely.

Kathleen Daughety, vice president of campaigns and engagement for the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable, said the outcome could significantly help fill gaps in access to mental health services for children across the state.

"Increasing access to mental health care is our focus because half of people in the US who need mental health care are not getting it today," Daughety pointed out. "That number is even worse for children; 70% of children who need mental health care aren't able to access it."

A recent poll by Inseparable showed it is an issue resonating with voters. About 88% believe expanding mental health care access should be a top priority for elected officials.

Graham Palmer, director of systems innovation and policy for the nonprofit Rural Opportunity Institute, explained barriers like broadband and workforce shortages and limited funding make it difficult to provide the necessary services, especially in rural areas. He believes schools can make a life-changing difference for kids.

"Sometimes schools are the only access point that systems of care can get to for kids, because there's transportation challenges," Palmer explained. "There may be time challenges, if the student has a job or they just don't have extra time to be driving an hour to see a therapist."

The Superintendent of Public Instruction would play a key role in shaping school policies, funding, and resources directly affecting whether schools can provide mental health services. The Democratic candidate, Maurice "Mo" Green recently signed Inseparable's "Mental Health Now" statement of support. He worked as the superintendent of North Carolina's third-largest school district and pointed out addressing the workforce is going to be crucial to giving students the support they need.

"The school psychologist's major association would recommend a ratio of about one school psychologist," Green noted. "For every 500 students, in North Carolina that ratio is almost 1 to 1,800."

Green is facing off against Republican nominee Michelle Morrow, who is a nurse and homeschool educator in Wake County. Her campaign website shows she supports school choice and increasing school resource officers.

Advocates are also calling for state policymakers to invest in expanded school-based mental health programs and improve crisis response efforts.


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Mental health is a top issue for voters, and candidates running for office across Colorado are pledging to make it a priority if elected.

Kathleen Daughety, vice president of campaigns and civic engagement with Inseparable, said if people can get treatment, they can thrive. But if they can't, the situation can get much, much worse.

She pointed to a recent survey showing that half of all Americans who need mental health care aren't able to get it, and said one of the biggest barriers is that health insurance companies aren't doing their part.

"People are buying insurance policies expecting to get care when they need it. And then when they are sick, insurance companies are denying the care that their doctors are prescribing," she explained.

Nearly nine in ten voters say expanding access to mental health care should be a priority, ranking it just as high as lowering the cost of living. So far, 80 Colorado candidates have signed a Mental Health Now statement of support, more than any other state. The statement calls for policies that increase access to mental health care, improve crisis response, and expand youth mental health services, especially in schools.

Colorado is one of many states that lack facilities to place people experiencing severe mental illness. In 1955, there were nearly 6,000 psychiatric beds in the state. In 2023 the number dropped to 482.

Dusty Johnson, R-Fort Morgan, is running unopposed for House District 63 and signed the Mental Health Now statement of support.

"We shouldn't be using jail as a place to get mental health resources. But when you have nowhere to take them, they end up in our prisons, or back on the street, and then they go and hurt themselves worse, or hurt somebody else. It would be nice if we had places that would take them on the spot," Johnson said.

Since 2015, one out of five people killed by police were experiencing a mental health emergency. Daughety said the goal for politicians should be to make law enforcement involvement in crises the exception, not the rule.

"If someone is having a mental health emergency, they need a mental health specific response, they don't need a law enforcement response. Law enforcement says these calls are really stressful. They're not trained for them," Daughety contended.

Parents in North Dakota are likely getting a sense of how their child's school year is going so far. If bullying issues have emerged, the research community hopes educators and families take a careful approach to achieve better outcomes now and in the future.

Throughout Bullying Prevention Month in October, messaging on this topic is likely to be prominent in school settings.

Shelley Hymel, a retired developmental and educational psychologist and professor at the University of British Columbia has done extensive research in this field. She said it's no surprise that repeated bullying can negatively affect a student's academic performance, and how they deal with problems the rest of their lives.

Hymel wants anyone who still thinks it makes a child more resilient to think again.

"Kids who are victimized, you know, just sit there all day wondering what's going to happen to them next. I've had notes from kids saying how that's their life, that's how their world is," she said.

Hymel said that's why it's important for schools to not lose sight of social and emotional learning and teach children empathy. North Dakota law requires districts to adopt a bullying policy and explain it to students. On its website, the Department of Public Instruction offers guidance for parents, including listening calmly and offering comfort and support if their child says they're being targeted.

Hymel said researchers are still finding new tidbits of information, even after schools have adopted successful approaches. For example, in school settings where bullying was significantly reduced, the few remaining students still being singled out had it even worse.

"When you end up being the last kid, the one kid who was still being bullied, it takes a toll on your self esteem," she explained.

That's why the academic community, schools, and parents need to remain vigilant about overcoming any side effects as policies take shape, she added. Earlier this year, British researchers released findings showing bullying in childhood lowers the probability of having a job throughout adulthood, and puts a person at greater risk for premature death.


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