Dear Editor, Morgan Hill children and families need your
help.
Dear Editor,
Morgan Hill children and families need your help. Prop. 63, the Mental Health Service Act, can bring needed funds to our community. Mental health dollars will be used to fund new programs that meet local needs. Children in our community need to learn strategies to enhance their social skills and coping strategies so they can be more successful in the community and in life. Bringing social skills training and support programs for parents to our community would meet this need.
“Team Social” is a comprehensive strategy for bringing innovative social training, coping strategies, education, and parental training combined with traditional treatments. Studies have proven that early intervention can help reduce drug use, crime, suicide and delinquency in our youth. This can give our children the tools to lead an independent life.
We are still in the early stages of planning. Prop 63 will have $12 million available to California for expanded services, education, new, and early interventions for mental health. Some $300,000 has been allocated to Santa Clara County. But to meet the criteria of the Act community input needs to occur. Each county will need to prioritize mental health concerns. See dmh.ca.gov for more information. We are not asking for donations – just input from the community.
Recent studies of children with special needs have determined that interventions would be much more successful combined with a comprehensive program of social training and coping strategies. The current statistics on drug use, suicide, depression and incarceration overwhelmingly indicated that we are missing a major component, one of early intervention for social training I fully support the initiatives to allocate funding to those children of special needs.
Some alarming statistics:
n 80 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have either a learning disability or mental disorder.
n 1. 43 percent of youths receiving mental health services have a substance abuse disorder.
n 19 percent of Santa Clara County’s 9th and 11th grader reported seriously considering suicide. Eight percent actually attempted.
n Children of autism have an extremely high rate of impulsive (not planned) suicide.
n 1 in 5 children between the age of 9-17 have a mental or addictive disorder that causes impairment.
n No other illnesses have damage so many youths so seriously.
n IQ scores of high functioning autistics over 100 are less successful in life than those with IQ’s between 70 and 100.
n 92 percent of adults with autism suffer from a mood or anxiety disorder. Thirty-one percent contemplate suicide.
Three forums will be presented at Rebekah’s Children’s Center in Gilroy at 290 IOOF Ave, on May 5 from 3-5pm, May 6 from 11:30am-1:30pm, and May 6 from 3-5pm.
Mike McGrath, chief operations officer,
Rebekah’s Children’s Services, Gilroy
