We need institutions for those who need help

Sat., Aug. 18, 2007

The Spokesman-Review

I want to thank you for telling Deborah Chan’s story (Vocal Point, Aug. 11) about the hardships her family has experienced with her brother.

I also lived in California when the gates were opened in the mental hospitals and the patients were turned out to fend for themselves. This was the results of the liberals insisting that we ‘greedy’ relatives were just trying to put away people to gain control of their money and politicians who looked at the budget and did not want to pay.

I, too, have a bipolar brother, but he has no other problems. His brain chemistry is haywire. Over many years of my parents buying him out of bankruptcy and a wife who stuck by him he has overcome the troubles and leads a productive, happy life. He is also a graduate chemist and very smart. This disease strikes us at all levels.

I think it obscene that we do not have institutions, such as former military bases, opened up to people who could almost make it on their own with a little help and treatment who could get that help in such a central location. Group living or group centered living could help so many of these people. Even families could live in some of those houses while getting the intensive stage of treatment.

Should one of my family get this disease, I would certainly be willing to move into a community centered ‘treatment’ environment and would be very grateful for it. This arrangement could also help other kinds of mental illness as well as medical problems and so many children lost in the child and protective services who are not deemed adoptable.

Nancy Parker

Northwood

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