Lack of funding is leading to a collapse in Ohio's mental health system

"Ohio's community mental health system is on the brink of failure and collapse," according to a report written by Susan Ackerman of The Center for Community Solutions. The report, "Ohio's Community Mental Health System," looks at what needs to happen in Ohio Medicaid to maximize mental health services and how changes in the state's health care delivery system due to federal health care reform can affect these services.

Ackerman states that Ohio's community mental health system is collapsing due to a lack of funding over many years which is leading to higher costs in other systems and poor health outcomes. She acknowledges that federal health reform may provide the means to change the current system, "but the state must actively pursue system reform in order to improve treatment and care for individuals with mental illness."

The report includes recommendations:

• Create a stand-alone Medicaid agency;
• Create a bipartisan commission to reform behavioral health care in Ohio; and
• Provide additional long-term care options for individuals with severe mental illnesses.

Read the report: Ohio's Community Mental Health System at a Crossroads (PDF file)

To view and print PDF documents, you need to have Adobe® Reader®, a free software program, installed on your computer. Download Adobe® Reader®