CARBONDALE - Lt. Governor Sheila Simon, will advocate for the state to prioritize mental health funding following a tour of a group home and crisis center Friday.
"Mental health providers are on the front lines, serving some of our state's most vulnerable residents, and they depend on state funding," said Simon. "I am committed to working with the governor, legislators and stakeholders to support programs that are allowing people with developmental disabilities to thrive."
Simon will visit a group home and a mental health crisis center operated by The H Group. For more than 50 years the agency has provided mental health services in Franklin, Jackson and Williamson Counties. Simon's visit follows a tour earlier this spring of the Murray Developmental Center in Centralia.
Lt. Governor Simon is the only Southern Illinois member of the state's Budgeting for Results Commission. In order to evaluate programs, the bi-partisan commission - comprised of Lt. Governor Simon, legislators and leaders in business, education, budgeting and finance - spent the summer holding public hearings to gather testimony from service providers, advocates and stakeholders, regarding the success of existing programs and services. The commission will advise the Governor on the Fiscal Year 2015 budget.
Between 2009 and 2011, Illinois cut general revenue funding for mental health services by almost $114 million and was fourth in the nation for total cuts.
DATE: Sept. 13, 2013
TIME: 2:30 p.m.
PLACE: The H Group Administration & Counseling & Wellness Center, 310 West Plaza Drive, Carterville
