Mental health series
December 22, 2013 12:00 AM
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Now is the time when we pause to reflect on the year that passed and give thanks. So with that in mind, I want to give special thanks to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for a series of stories the newspaper ran last week and earlier in the year. These stories — first by Joe Smydo about the mental health system and then by Mark Roth about depression — shed light on the mental health problems some residents struggle to overcome, as well as the challenges providers face to ensure these individuals have the highest quality of care.

The realities of mental health, intellectual and developmental disabilities, addictive diseases and rehabilitation needs are easily misunderstood and oftentimes overlooked, ignored and underfunded. As one of the largest and most diverse state health and human services associations in the nation, we see it every day, and we do all we can to change that.

Clearly, these are issues we simply can’t afford to overlook or ignore — and stories and series like those published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette help to address the realities of the mental health system.

RICHARD S. EDLEY
President & CEO
Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association
Harrisburg, Pa