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Mental-health advocates keep watchful eye on state budget process

Without treatment and services, they believe patients will depend even more on other costly state services

NEW ORLEANS -- There's one group closely watching potential budget cuts in the state Legislature. They are advocates for treating mental illness and substance abuse.

Without treatment and services, advocates believe patients will depend even more on other costly state services.

"No darlin', I would love to meet you on that Tuesday," Jessie Smith, III says on a work conference call.

Smith, 53, has a job, an apartment, a life and purpose, but without the non-profit National Alliance on Mental Illness, his chronic mental illness schizo affective disorder may have taken his life or livelihood.

"I don't know where I'd be right now. I'd probably would be under that bridge over there," Smith said.

His condition is controlled by medication, and NAMI helped him get a career.

"You meet other persons with mental health conditions. You get to make friends. You get to see that you're not alone. ...with this mental illness," Smith said. "And Medicaid paid for that."

"One in five people live with a mental illness in a given year, so if it doesn't directly impact you, it directly impacts someone that you know," said NAMI Executive Director Lisa Romback.

This is why NAMI, which treats and helps 500 people, is concerned about the potential for legislative cuts to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. The group has launched a social media information campaign to ask supporters and legislators to find ways to fix the budget gap.

"There's already a shortage of care. Access is difficult. Getting authorized units of service is difficult. If we don't have the funding that's necessary, there may be drastic cuts that will affect thousands of Louisiana citizens, particularly individuals who have Medicaid," Romback explained.

NAMI says that without mental health and substance abuse care, people who need that assistance are more likely to be in the hospital, emergency rooms, prison, homeless or jobless, costing more money than delivering the health care they need.

Smith believes he is living proof of that. "I'm very happy. I'm very happy and content, more so because I work. Work is very important for a person with a mental health diagnosis. in my opinion," he said.

Mental health advocates say potential cuts could hurt adult mental rehabilitation, substance use treatment, and possibly mental health treatment for children and adolescents.

But since the new budget is not set, it is unclear which services could be cut.

For more on NAMI services click here: https://namineworleans.org/

To ask NAMI for information, help finding access to services and support for caregivers, call (504) 896-2345 (This is not a crisis hotline).

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