To the editor:

Hooray for your editorial on Sept. 9 concerning the lack of services for persons with mental illness.

Through the years, we have watched the closing of our mental institutions (which should have been called something with less stigma) to save tax dollars and to be more humane to those living there. What we have seen is a rise in the costs of prisons, many new ones that are now overcrowded.

What have we saved in tax dollars and human dignity? I had a relative that was a resident in a state hospital in Topeka years ago. As a teen, I visited and was never appalled with the conditions and respected the employees for the effort they put forth to aid these citizens. With the closing of the hospital, my relative was homeless and died under a bridge from what I believe is an oversight from our leaders.

I firmly agree that Kansas should be a leader in the effort to provide appropriate housing and care for our citizens who require mental health care. Please, leaders, wake up and support those who need a mental health care system that works for them, not against.

Rheva Victor,
Lawrence