United Way Mental Health Panel

Representatives of United Way of the Midlands, Salvation Army and Community Alliance formed a panel at community event Monday to discuss the shortage of beds in residential treatment centers in Omaha. The need for additional inpatient and long term care facilities for people with mental illness is not new. However, it is a growing need, with only one in three people with a mental illness seeking help. “Longtime stigmas against acknowledging mental illness often prevent people from getting the help they need,” one panelist said.

Nebraska is currently ranked 40th among the 50 states per-capita spending on those with mental illness, and untreated mental illness costs the US  an estimated $100 million each year.

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http://www.omaha.com/article/20140429/LIVEWELL01/140428710/1161#united-way-panel-says-metro-area-lacks-capacity-to-treat-mentally-ill