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Herald Editorial: Utah County must direct more resources and focus to mental health care

Daily Herald - 10/24/2016

While hospitals are expanding and popping up from Lehi to Payson to increase access to health care services for a growing population, there is still one area of health care severely lacking in Utah County.

Though stigmas are changing, mental health care is a major concern to providers, local nonprofits and education entities and should be to residents.

Not only are not enough people receiving care that they need, but also there are not nearly enough providers to take care of the demand.

As recently reported, Alpine School District has had problems hiring school psychologists, instead attempting to fill this critical and sensitive need with additional school counselors. Though try as they might, the counselors' training, education and professional skills are not equal to a psychologist.

Utah is also known to pay mental health care providers less than surrounding states, understandably creating a recruiting and retention problem.

So, as we face a surging youth population within general county growth, it seems one clear solution is to provide more competitive salaries to these much-needed health care providers so that thousands of people can get the help they need.

If we were lacking in obstetricians, we would surely see health care entities and offices execute greater urgency.

Why is this not the case when it comes to the safety of our children potentially just a few years older?

We know by now that mental health issues are just as real and weighty as physical ones we can see. There is no shame in seeking or receiving help to improve one's mental health.

Suicide is the fifth leading cause of death in Utah County; what are we doing to solve this very real problem?

Despite our governor's applause of Happy Valley reaching so many recognitions, the name still seems to bring some irony in consideration of this current predicament.

The valley cannot reach health goals for residents of all ages - children, youth, adults and the senior population - without proper tools and help.

We ask residents, health professionals and legislators to encourage more Utah educational institutions to develop or expand programs that might train school psychologists.

As Shiralee Barsdorf, a peer support specialist at Wasatch Mental Health, has said, we also need people (and especially religious leaders) to become more familiar with the services they can refer patients and members to.

If our leaders are not familiar with the resources currently available, those that could have been helped may find other repercussions.

For some, that might mean getting tangled up in the legal system or self-medicating because there are not sufficient providers to provide diagnosis.