Pennsylvania Legislative Report Recommends Additional Funding For Community-Based Mental Health Services

A recent report from the Joint State Government Commission, the Pennsylvania legislature's research service, recommended that the state increase funding for community-based services. The report also recommended that the state develop a system for tracking the availability of state psychiatric beds, and broaden the guidelines for forcing people in mental health crisis to undergo treatment. In 2012-2013, Pennsylvania issued a 10% cut in state mental health services funding; the report noted that provider organizations and counties seek to have that funding restored.

The 2013 legislature directed the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study on "all . . .