CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Envisioning A Better Mental-Health Future

Intelligencer Journal (Lancaster, PA) - 7/22/2014

What does a community that truly supports mental well-being look like?

Nearly 100 community and healthcare leaders considered that question July 9 as Lancaster General Health convened a mental well- being visioning event at the Eden Resort & Suites. The goal was to refine and advance the work of May's Mental Health Summit where 400 community members (50 of whom again attended the visioning session) identified strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats around one of our community's and our nation's, most complex and pressing issues.

As we framed a vision for the future, common themes emerged: improving access, enhancing education, removing financial and cultural barriers and addressing the stigma still associated with mental health.

With the help of a visual artist, we created a picture of the ideal future state: Community members of all ages are accessing affordable and culturally competent support. Education is helping to increase awareness and dispel myths. Sufficient numbers of providers at all levels are available to meet needs. Recreational and cultural opportunities are abundant. Leaders from business, education, not- for-profits, healthcare and the faith-based community are working together to implement innovative, creative solutions.

How does that compare to the reality of today? Limited funding from insurance programs shifts more financial burdens to institutions that continue to provide the necessary but unreimbursed care. The decrease in long-term hospital beds in Pennsylvania means more patients have longer waits on acute units, leaving fewer beds available for those in crisis waiting in emergency departments for admission.

Our community's hospitals, which provide 24-hour availability for care and serve as the safety net for mental health consumers, are too often treated as the after-hours backup service for "outpatient only" provider systems which abdicate these responsibilities.

And that's just the acute care side. We all know people who have needed help with mental or emotional problems but were afraid to ask for it, fearing how they would be treated. Yet almost everyone at some point has faced these issues. It's the great secret everyone is reluctant to share. Until we admit it, share it, talk about it, and provide for the necessary support, we are active participants in suppressing access to care.

At the visioning event, many attendees signed up to participate in one of four workgroups established to translate the vision into action - the crucial next step.

Together, we pictured a healthier future. What's coming into focus is the fact that no entity alone can move the needle on mental well-being, regardless of its financial success or professional resources. It has to be a shared responsibility and all organizations must own and prepare for their appropriate roles.

As productive as our visioning has been, significant challenges lie ahead. We look forward to working with our partners to make our "picture" of positive mental health and well-being a reality in our community.

Dr. Dougherty is the medical director of Behavioral Health Services for Lancaster General Health and chairs the Department of Psychiatry.