Letter to the Editor: Stop State Cuts to Mental Healthcare
W. James McFalls, Executive Director of KenCrest Services, calls on Gov. Corbett to keep his promise to make caring for people with intellectual disabilities and autism a core committment of his administration.
As a candidate, Governor Corbett promised that the state’s responsibility to people with disabilities, specifically intellectual disabilities (ID) and autism, would be a core commitment of his government. We agreed, and we would like him to keep that promise. A number of recent decisions made by the Governor’s Secretary of Public Welfare (DPW) effectively gut the funding for those providing service to people with ID and autism, forcing providers to reduce or eliminate services. Rates have been imposed that ignore the actual level of need of the people being served without the input of families, providers, advocacy groups, or legislators. Services that the state has approved and the agencies have delivered in good faith are not being paid …
