Governor Bobby Jindal has proposed serious cuts to New Orleans’ public health infrastructure.  If these cuts go through, we will lose much needed resources like hospital beds and certified medical providers. 

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 20 percent of American adults live with a mental illness (http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k10MH_Findings/). However, only 39 percent of these 45.9 million American adults received mental health services in 2010.

TODAY, it is already challenging for individuals living with mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders to access necessary inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services, medical prescriptions, counseling and case management.  It is not too late to stop the situation from becoming even worse.  If we lose these resources, our city will become sicker, our prisoners working towards rehabilitation will enter back into our community without treatment, and our medical providers will become even more overworked and underpaid.

Let Governor Jindal know that it is not ok to cut $15 million from the Interim LSU Public Hospital in New Orleans.  If anything, we need additional resources exactly where these cuts are proposed.