Thursday's International: Poor mental health care in Texas
Folks, I lived in Texas for several years, and I can confirm that it is, indeed, a separate country. Oddly, I have very warm feelings about it, despite the rampant bigotry, gun love, anti-Semitism and conservatism I was exposed to there. There's something about Texas ... it kind of bewitches you, like a bejeweled Jezebel.
But the mental health care could be better. The Navasota Examiner has a blistering column by editor Steve Snyder about the state's shortfalls in this area. Good for him.
The state of Texas' mental health care: It's criminal
[This photo is of Texas flag shower hooks. You can get anything with the Texas flag there, or in the shape of the state. Er, country.]
Comments
It is simply impossible that things are "criminal" in the great state of Texas. While NAMI gave Texas an overall C rating, it gave it a B- minus for services despite it being 47th in the nation in per capita mental health spending.(1)
On the other hand, maybe NAMI is wrong on this one.
(1) NAMI: Grading the States
http://www.nami.org/txTemplate.cfm?section=grading_the_states
Posted by: Joe | February 23, 2007 03:54 PM
I'm a legislative reporter. It's beyond criminal. We're 49th in per capita spending on Health and Human Service, and the "treatment" that hasn't been privatized looks more like punishment every day. The director of Texas Youth Commission resigned in disgrace this morning, for letting supervisors have their fun with kids in captivity. Today's my birthday, and I am celebrating that.
Posted by: flawedplan | February 24, 2007 01:31 AM