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Indiana faith leaders call for full funding of mental health crisis response system

Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund, at lectern, speaks about the importance of mental health crisis response services at a Statehouse press conference on Tuesday, Mar. 7, 2023. Behind her are fellow faith leaders, part of the advocacy group Faith In Indiana.
Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund, at lectern, speaks about the importance of mental health crisis response services at a Statehouse press conference on Tuesday, Mar. 7, 2023. Behind her are fellow faith leaders, part of the advocacy group Faith In Indiana.

Indiana faith leaders say Hoosiers need and deserve better mental health crisis response services.

They’re calling on lawmakers to fully fund recommendations from the  Indiana Behavioral Health Commission.

Faith leaders say millions of Hoosiers know someone who was or will be in need of mental health crisis services. For the Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund, that person was her father. He told her he was planning to die by suicide. She contacted the police – because there was no one else to call.

“My father deserved a person to care about him, not to lock him up and take him to jail, but a number to call for real help,” Lund said.

READ MORE: Senate committee advances mental health clinics bill, but strips out funding

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The advocacy group Faith In Indiana met with lawmakers and delivered a letter, calling on them to fully fund proposed legislation,  SB 1, that would boost community mental health services and the 988 crisis response hotline.

“Not a dribble," said Angela Espada, Indiana Catholic Conference executive director. "Not seed money, to see how it’s going, but full and appropriate funding.”

Faith leaders say that means $130 million. So far, lawmakers have discussed no more than about $30 million.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at  bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at  @brandonjsmith5.

Brandon J. Smith has previously worked as a reporter and anchor for KBIA Radio in Columbia, MO. Prior to that, he worked for WSPY Radio in Plano, IL as a show host, reporter, producer and anchor. His first job in radio was in another state capitol, in Jefferson City, as a reporter for three radio stations around Missouri. Brandon graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in 2010, with minors in political science and history. He was born and raised in Chicago.