Mental health mattered this year in Maine

To the editor:

Maine Mental Health Partners in South Portland wants to thank the 124^th Maine Legislature for its exemplary service during this most recent session.  

We particularly wish to thank members of Leadership and the Appropriations and Health and Human Services committees for facing the daunting challenge of balancing the biennial budget without crippling the mental health services infrastructure that so many Maine residents rely upon for health and well-being. It is particularly noteworthy that the Appropriations Committee worked tirelessly to support a unanimous budget in these trying times.

 Lawmakers’ restoration of critical mental health funding that had been proposed for elimination in the governor’s preliminary budget was a godsend to both Maine employers and consumers alike. Not only did these proposed cuts threaten the livelihood of mental health centers and psychiatric service providers across the state, they also promised to choke off access to timely, affordable and sometimes life-saving treatment for tens of thousands of Maine residents with mental health concerns.  

 We are especially grateful for the time and patience demonstrated by lawmakers during the public hearings, which we recognize must have been a marathon. For some of us, these hearings were our first opportunity to take part in the legislative process firsthand, and we could not have been more impressed with lawmakers’ respectful and attentive audience.

 We appreciate each lawmaker’s service to the state and its residents, particularly in this most challenging session. Our congratulations and thanks to the 124^th Legislature on this tremendously difficult job being carried out so exceedingly well.

Dennis P. King 

CEO, Maine Mental Health Partners