Maine is facing a crisis in mental health care. The evidence is overwhelming, and the voices calling for change are growing louder.

The message is clear: we must prioritize funding for mental health services now. The Maine Child Welfare Services ombudsman’s report contains words that echo with urgency: “We must continually face the reality that there are children that are, or will be, unsafe in their parents’ care. And the state is responsible for protecting those children.”

The stark reality is that our current mental health care system is failing these children and families. Every case review conducted this year highlighted the detrimental impact of inadequate mental health services on both children and adults.

The most recent Maine Deadly Force Report emphasizes the critical need for action. For the fourth year in a row, the group’s annual report called for more support for the state’s mental health services. The report “urgently reiterates its call for resources for mental health services. The contributing causes leading individuals to armed confrontations with law enforcement remain the same; only the names change.” It’s a chilling reminder that without proper mental health support, we are perpetuating a cycle of crisis and tragedy.

The consequences of inaction are dire. The Department of Justice states in its investigation’s finding letter issued in June of 2022 that, “We have determined that Maine is violating the ADA by failing to provide behavioral health services to children in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. Instead, the State unnecessarily relies on segregated settings such as psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment facilities to provide these services. As a result of these violations, children are separated from their families and communities.”

The statistics are equally alarming.

A recent piece in the Bangor Daily News revealed that over 2,000 individuals are on a waiting list for mental health services in southern Maine alone.

It’s time for action. We must prioritize funding for comprehensive, accessible services for individuals and families in their time of need. This means investing in community-based intervention programs, expanding access to therapists and counselors, and ensuring access to medication management services.

The governor and the Legislature can immediately prioritize funding for a comprehensive Maine resiliency package of bills. The Maine Resiliency Package is a collection of mental health initiatives that addresses workforce investments, gaps in the mental health care continuum for special populations and provides support for best practice models of care. In addition to the resiliency package of bills, there are several new initiatives, like Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross’s L.D. 2237, An Act to Strengthen Public Safety, Health and Well-being by Expanding Services and Coordinating Violence Prevention Resources,” which has already garnered unanimous support, has been swiftly passed and now needs to be funded.

Expanding access to services through workforce investments is crucial to ensure that Mainers have access to the mental health care they need, as are bills like L.D. 632, to amend the Social Work Education Loan Program, L.D. 1506, to convene a stakeholder group to study the training and recruitment of behavioral health professionals, and L.D. 1718, to encourage participation in Maine’s essential support workforce through access to higher education. These investments are essential to increase the number of mental health professionals in our state and ensure that individuals receive timely and quality care.

Furthermore, filling in gaps in the mental health care continuum for special populations is imperative to address the diverse needs of Maine’s residents. That’s why the resiliency package includes initiatives that focus on providing targeted support for individuals with substance use disorder (L.D. 539 and L.D. 1178), emotional dysregulation disorders (L.D. 840), severe and persistent mental illness (L.D. 907), and children’s mental health services in rural areas (L.D. 1236).

Sustaining best practice models of care, such as the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model, is also essential for providing comprehensive mental health and substance use services. Initiatives like L.D. 472 and L.D. 1305 aim to provide bridge funding for these models of care, allowing Mainers to receive trauma-informed care and support for co-occurring disorders.

Finally, we must prioritize funding for evidence-based practices and preventive supports for youth. Initiatives like L.D. 435, L.D. 2002, and L.D. 2083 focus on securing access to medically necessary behavioral health care services for children, providing incentives to schools for social work and family therapy services, and establishing timely access and medication management across the state.

The need for investment in Maine’s mental health care system is clear and urgent. We urge the governor and the Legislature to act now by funding the Maine resiliency package of bills and prioritizing the mental health and well-being of all Mainers.

Together, we can build a stronger, safer, and more resilient Maine for generations to come.

Malory Shaughnessy is executive director of the Alliance for Addiction and Mental Health Services, Maine. Betsy Sweet is an advocate with the Behavioral Health Community Collaborative.

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