By Susan Resko, Josselyn CEO and President
Did you know that Josselyn responds to 1100 requests for services each month? Recently, the U.S. Surgeon General declared two mental health advisories on both youth mental health and loneliness.
• In 2019, one in three high school students and half of female students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, an overall increase of 40% from 2009.
• In 2023, another mental health advisory announced that the mortality impact of being socially disconnected is like that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day.
Both mental health crises started well before the pandemic and have not dissipated.
One solution to these mental health epidemics is a Community Mental Health Board (CMHB), which is established by a local government to evaluate and fund mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse services. CMHBs are governed by the Illinois Community Mental Health Act (405 ILCS 20) and are accountable to the citizens of their community. Established after John F. Kennedy signed the Community Mental Health Act into law in 1963, CMHBs are growing in popularity some six decades later. Vernon and Wheeling Townships have recently passed CMHB referendums, and the Moraine Township (Highland Park and Highwood) Board of Trustees will be asking its community members if they want a CMHB board on November 5th.
In the past two years, Josselyn provided 551 Moraine Township residents with 12,218 hours of therapy, psychiatry and other mental health services.The number of Moraine Township residents served has more than doubled since the traumatic Highland Park parade shooting two years ago.
To meet the mental health needs of Moraine and the hundreds of communities we serve, Josselyn onboarded 31 clinical staff members and 40 interns over the summer. How can we afford this? What Josselyn brings to the table is a license to bill Medicaid and Medicare for federal and state support. We are also accredited with the Illinois Department of Human Services to secure state grants. Josselyn leverages these funding sources and brings them to local communities to cover about 80 cents of every dollar needed to provide mental health services to low-income individuals. We ask local governments and donors to support the remaining 20 cents of every dollar needed.
Currently, the local funding Josselyn receives from Moraine Township donors and grantors does not cover the cost to provide care to its residents. In FY24, Josselyn provided $1.7 million in services to Moraine Township residents, $400,000 of which wasn’t covered by insurance and only partially funded by local sources. CMHB funding could help to fill that gap, and could provide the steady, reliable funding needed for the behavioral care of Moraine Township residents. Imagine if:
• Moraine Township had more integrated school-based supports like other communities in Lake County?
• Residents who use the Highland Park Hospital for repeated psychiatric emergencies had someone from Jossleyn meet them and immediately engage them in mental health services?
Mental health for all is Josselyn’s vision, and it’s also good for communities. Easy access to quality mental health means communities are safer. It means that people who have lost their jobs because of their mental health symptoms can get the support they need and return to work. Teens who are school avoidant and socially isolated can learn coping and social skills and complete their education. Children who are bullied can receive the support they need. In short, communities are healthier and more productive when all their residents have access to mental health care.
To learn more, please attend the Creating a Community Mental Health Board in Moraine Township on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 – 6:00pm at the Highwood Library & Community Center. I urge residents of Moraine Township to support the November 5th CMHB ballet referendum.
Mental health for all is not just a vision; it can be our reality.
