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Article Excerpt
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed legislation that would forever change how America cares for people with mental illnesses. That legislation, the Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Center Construction Act, led to the construction of hundreds of centers that provide comprehensive care to enable individuals with mental illnesses to live in the community rather than in antiquated psychiatric institutions. Our government promised these citizens and their families a chance at reclaiming control of their lives.
Fast-forward 40 years. States throughout the country have closed hundreds of psychiatric hospitals. However, the billions of dollars that these closings have saved states have not followed individuals with mental illnesses into the community. The promise of a better life has not been kept.
Nowhere is this situation more prevalent than in New Jersey. During the past three decades, New Jersey has shut down antiquated state psychiatric institutions and moved 18,000 individuals with mental illnesses back into the community. The closure of the hospitals saves more than $2 billion annually, yet less than half of that amount is reinvested into the community. This perennial underinvestment has created a public health crisis, one that has led to increased homelessness, incarcerations, and rehospitalizations.
Armed with this evidence,...
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