(TRENTON) — Assemblyman Gary S. Scaher and Dr. Jeffrey Brenner had the following published recently in the Star-Ledger:
“Seventy years ago, patients with mental illness were locked away in expensive, state-funded institutions where they languished for years in poor conditions receiving ineffective treatments. Since 1960, many public psychiatric hospitals have been closed or their size reduced dramatically, because of a mix of patient advocacy, improving treatments, court decisions and financial pressures.
“We stand at a public policy crossroads. Hospital leaders, mental health professionals and families are demanding change. It’s time to move from short- to long-term solutions that will serve this population best.
“Our dilemma: With our limited public resources, how do we invest in community-based alternatives?”
To read the rest of his op-ed, co-authored with 2013 MacArthur Fellow Jeffrey Brenner, M.D., click here.