Baron Bruno

Governments – at all levels – need to be much more aware, educated and eager in helping those with mental and behavioral issues.  Often times politicians see gun-control and homelessness as isolated issues, when in fact, they are often tied (significantly) to mental and behavioral health issues.

Insurance companies should be supporting and covering more exams and preventative measures BEFORE mental health issues become permanent behavioral changes detrimental to the health and safety of the individual(s), their communities and this state.

The state needs to step up and allocate funding for public screening facilities, treatment centers, and support non-profit organizations who can assist them logistically in treating these people with mental health challenges.  The pharmaceutical companies who have created the opioid crisis, should be the ones funding the education and rehab costs, since they are the ones who caused this problem in the first place.   (State and local governments should NOT have to bear the financial burden themselves).

This again, ties in to other issues like homelessness. Not all homeless people want or need help.  Each person should be categorized based on their unique needs and/or their willingness to get – and accept – help.   This holds especially true for mental and behavioral challenges.   There needs to be more experts in the field, in the homeless encampments, working with non-profits and qualitative and quantitative research professionals to determine the proper future protocol for care, treatment, rehab, medication, etc.

Insurance carriers doing business in CA should be required to have some sort of “minimum” mental and behavioral health coverages and/or screenings.

Absolutely!  I do!  This is not something that we as a society and human beings can simply throw under the rug or “kick the can down the road” for others to deal with.  It will amplify the problem and lead to more crime, misinformation, public pushback, and additional financial and logistical resources necessary like police, firefighters, first responders, etc.   We need to allocate money and resources NOW as preventative measures and educate the public of how to handle those with mental and behavioral challenges.

(Disclosure: my twin brother is mentally handicapped & I’ve grown up seeing and experiencing his challenges and my parents fighting with elected officials to get the extra care and services he needs. If we keep the pressure on & clearly outline the needs and benefits for tackling these issues on the front end, it will improve the lives of ALL of us, not just those afflicted by mental and behavioral challenges.)