Nebraska lacking in mental health resources

The most vital of mental health services are often unavailable or under-funded for the individuals that need them the most, health officials say.

10 to 20 percent of Nebraska's populace suffers from some kind of mental illness, and the state lacks the resources to comprehensively address and treat them. Reform is slow in coming and funding is even slower.

In 2003, Nebraska lawmakers passed LB1083 in a move to transform regional centers to more community-based centers. Three years later, Nebraska received a nearly failing grade from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, an organization for individuals with mental illnesses and their families.

"One of the big problems was the lack of community-based services where people can get services right in their own area," said Jonah Deppe, the executive director for NAMI Nebraska.



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