Area psychologists decry closing

The executive board of the Dayton Area Psychological Association is concerned about the decision to close the Dayton campus of Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare. We are against having the budget balanced on the backs of some of our most vulnerable fellow Ohioans.

The hospital's closing delivers a serious blow to the quality of patient care in the Dayton area. Acutely ill patients and their family members will be forced to travel much farther — to Cincinnati or Toledo — for the care they need.

Law-enforcement officers called upon to transport patients will be away from their duties in the community for hours, reducing the level of safety in their jurisdictions.

Many hospital workers will lose their jobs or be forced to relocate, further damaging our local economy. Our community will lose excellent training opportunities for future health care providers.

Underlying these concerns is the issue of the lack of communication from the governor's office and the Ohio Department of Mental Health to our community.

If communities are judged by the way that less fortunate members are treated, Ohio has failed miserably. This board hopes that our community will have greater input into future decisions that impact the economy of the community, the training of future mental health care providers and, most of all, the well-being of its less fortunate members.

Mary Hollenkamp Ramey

Huber Heights

Mary Hollenkamp Ramey is president-elect of the Dayton Area Psychological Association.

Twin Valley treats many outpatients

It is so sad that Twin Valley and its outpatient assistance are going away. The public is unaware of the number of people who are attached to Twin Valley on an outpatient basis, who need constant watching to be sure they take their medicines to keep them off the streets and out of jail. Many of these persons are forensic — without their medicines, we can't imagine what harm might happen to them and to those around them.

Because of this closure, I am aware of people who have tried to get mental health assistance who were turned away because of lack of insurance. I am worried about families who will be unable to make the trips to Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati to visit their loved ones.

I understand the need to correct a budget problem, but we are talking about people — not money. The governor and the state need to reconsider this action.

Deb Smith

Kettering

Closure will have consequences

I have been a nurse at Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare for more than 20 years. The people we serve are among the most vulnerable in our society, and the governor has shown no concern about the consequences of pulling this vital service from our area.

This closure will increase crowding of our emergency rooms and jails, put more homeless people on the streets, and it could increase the death rates and health care deficits of an already underserved population.

Twin Valley's Dayton site has been the leader in mental health care for the state. The hospital has continually ranked the best in the state in surveys, treatment models and continuity of care.

Cleveland has three state mental hospitals. Doesn't it make more sense to close one of these than to leave southwest Ohio without mental health care at all?

Dayton does not have any other state-funded hospital, and the burden of care will fall on the residents of the tri-county. Revenue will be leaving the Miami Valley in the form of services and professionals. Do we want this to be Dayton's fate?

We need to fight for the care of our families, friends and co-workers, and those with mental disabilities.

Nancy Guy

Kettering

Patients need people to speak up

I have a deep concern for the individuals affected by the imminent closing of Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare. The public generally misunderstands mental illness. A malfunctioning brain creates a disconnect and an inability to participate in society. Treatment is needed, as surely as for diseases of the body.

Now the state's budget cuts will close this haven for clients and their families. The closing has an impact on regional hospitals, financially and medically. It will stifle the education of Wright State University students in psychiatry and medicine. The closure curbs support from family members who will need to travel longer distances.

The savings realized by closing Twin Valley pales in comparison with the increase in costs in other areas, as well as the personal toll to all individuals involved.

These fragile individuals need the community to speak up on their behalf, to maintain the stability of their surroundings, known caregivers and nearby families.

Maribeth A. Graham

Miami Twp.

Many questions still unanswered

I wrote Gov. Ted Strickland with a request to reconsider closing Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare. My letter was forwarded to the Ohio Department of Mental Health. The response I received was that 100 percent of the inpatient beds serving our counties are being preserved, and ODMH is working closely with constituent groups and elected officials to reduce the impact of the consolidation.

But how will this closure affect Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine's training program, which utilizes Twin Valley? How will this affect Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and its ties to Twin Valley?

How will this affect local hospitals, when there are no local beds for long-term care of our mentally ill? How will this affect local law enforcement, when the police will be tied up for long periods of time transporting patients to state hospitals that are out of the local area? Finally, how will this affect our loved ones when they need their families the most, and they are in other cities' hospitals?

I hope ODMH can answer these questions..

Walt Lichtenberg

Beavercreek

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