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Less than 24 hours after a gunman killed eight people at an Allen outlet mall, Gov. Greg Abbott took to Fox News’ airwaves and quickly swatted down questions about gun reform.
“We’ve seen an increased number of shootings in states with easy gun laws as well as states with very strict gun laws,” Abbott told “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream during the broadcast.
From there, Abbott steered the conversation away from guns, as he has done following mass shootings in Santa Fe, El Paso and Uvalde — three of seven mass shootings in Texas since the governor took office in 2015 — and supplanted it with a push for more mental health services in the state.
During a national interview on Sunday, Abbott emphasized the importance of addressing the root cause of anger and violence, which in Texas, is being tackled on a large scale. He highlighted the need to focus on mental health problems as the underlying factor and emphasized that while people may desire quick solutions, a long-term approach to this issue is crucial.
To date, Texas has invested $25 billion during Abbott’s watch as part of a statewide behavioral health plan to address the state’s floundering mental health system as demand continues to grow with the state’s booming population. It’s a tremendous dollar amount to be sure, but one that has done little to lift Texas nationally when it comes to mental health offerings.
In 2022, the state ranked dead last when it comes to access to mental health services, according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit advocacy group.
As of today, the federal government has designated “mental health professional shortage areas” for either whole or partial coverage in 98% of Texas’ 254 counties.
It is also uncertain how the intended funding will effectively reach individuals who may become violent shooters. Although research consistently indicates that the majority of mental illnesses do not result in mass violence, there has been a connection to psychiatric factors in all seven mass shootings that occurred during Governor Abbott’s term in Texas.
State Representative Ray Lopez emphasized the importance of not only addressing mental health as a crucial aspect in preventing mass shootings, but also recognizing the significance of addressing the accessibility of firearms for individuals.
The San Antonio Democrat this year proposed House Bill 2148 that would have studied veteran deaths caused by suicide to find the percentage of veterans who were diagnosed with mental health problems or were receiving medication at the time of their death. The bill never made it to the House floor.
According to Lopez, it is important to address a significant challenge in order to ensure public safety, as firearms have the potential to fall into the possession of individuals who are mentally unstable, distressed, or lack maturity.
Guns and mental illness
Despite polling that shows 76% of Texas voters favor some gun restrictions, Republicans here — who have controlled the Texas Legislature since 2003 — have steered clear of gun restrictions.
In fact, since 2000, Texas lawmakers have approved more than 100 bills that loosened gun restrictions.. And just this week, an attempt to raise the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles appears to have failed after it lost its momentum when it was left off the Texas House’s agenda ahead of a key deadline.
Mental illness has been considered a factor in all seven mass shooting events in Texas since 2015.
Shortly after Micah Johnson killed five Dallas police officers during a Black Lives Matter protest, it was revealed the 25-year-old gunman, a former Army soldier, had shown signs of post-traumatic stress disorder but he was not formally diagnosed with the condition.
In 2012, five years before Devin Kelley shot and killed 26 church members in Sutherland Springs, he escaped from a mental health facility while in the Air Force, after he had attacked his wife and stepson and made threats to superiors.
Patrick Crusius was reportedly in a “psychotic” state after he was arrested for killing 23 people in an El Paso Walmart in 2019. His lawyers say their client has a history of mental disabilities.
Seth Ator, who was killed after he fatally shot seven people in Midland and Odessa in 2019 had failed a gun background check because of a “mental defect” court ruling in his past and purchased the AR-15 he used in 2019 from another person, who was later sentenced to federal prison for the transaction.
Dimitrios Pagourtzis, accused of killing 10 people in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting has yet to be prosecuted because he has been confined at a state psychiatric hospital after it was determined he has been — so far — incompetent to stand trial.
Although Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old shooter who killed 21 people at Robb Elementary exhibited signs of depression and committed acts of violence toward animals, there is no evidence he ever received a psychiatric diagnosis or any mental health assistance in a town that was starved for mental health services before the deadly attack nearly a year ago.
And this week, officials say that Mauricio Garcia, who killed seven people in Allen was removed from Army basic training because of “mental health concerns.”
Ever since Abbott assumed the position of governor, there has been a noticeable rise in the allocation of funds towards mental health services, especially following mass shootings. However, mental health professionals argue that funding alone does not provide a comprehensive solution to preventing such incidents. They highlight that Texas primarily focuses on reactive measures rather than proactive ones in terms of the services it funds.
Alison Mohr Boleware, the policy director for the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, stated that although there have been some advancements in different mental health programs following the Uvalde shooting, they have not been sufficient to address the structural obstacles that many Texans encounter when seeking mental health care.
The state’s mental health system is ranked low because access is limited in rural areas of the state due to a lack of providers, plus the quality is uneven, costs are high and too many people are currently uninsured. About 20% of Texans do not have health insurance.
Abbott, however, has not provided further details on how his initiative to increase funding for mental health services aims to effectively target potential mass shooters and avert future disasters. His office remained unresponsive to inquiries regarding the specific mechanisms through which enhanced mental health programs would achieve these objectives.
A closer look at that funding
This year, a Texas Health and Human Services Commission report confirmed that Abbott has invested more into the state’s mental health systems, with their budgets increasing year over year.
According to the report, funding for mental health has seen a rise of approximately $1.1 billion between the bienniums of 2018-19 and 2022-23.
According to the report, the funding provided supports a range of programs across different agencies and sectors. These include outpatient and inpatient mental health services at the Health and Human Services Commission, behavioral health services offered through Medicaid and CHIP, and payments made to providers for enhancing and facilitating access to services.
“Governor Abbott has always worked diligently to fully fund and expand mental health programs and services for Texans,” said Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for the governor. Abbott made addressing statewide mental health needs an emergency item in the 2019 legislative session. That year, he signed into law the Texas Child Mental Health Consortium and the Child Psychiatric Access Network, which is designed to intervene and treat children and adolescents showing signs of emotional distress.
Mahaleris stated that the Governor and legislature remain committed to prioritizing the expansion of mental health services. As part of the ongoing budget discussions, there are plans to increase mental health funding from $8.9 billion to over $11 billion.
Despite increased funding and the establishment of preventive services such as the state’s Child Mental Health Consortium, there has been no noticeable decrease in the frequency of mass shootings in Texas.
According to mental health professionals, addressing mass shootings requires more than just their profession, urging state leaders to broaden their approach.
Boleware expressed the significance of acknowledging that the majority of individuals with mental health conditions are not violent. He also emphasized that solely focusing on mental health can further perpetuate the stigma associated with it.
According to Greg Hansch, the executive director of the Texas chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the state should broaden its focus beyond child and community services. He suggests that it is crucial to invest in areas where distressed adults interact with government and hospitals.
Hansch mentioned that while there has been a significant effort to fund mental health in Texas, there is still a considerable distance to cover. It would be beneficial for the state to prioritize and allocate more resources towards enhancing funding for first-episode psychosis treatment, crisis services, initiatives for the mental health workforce, and diverting individuals with mental health issues from incarceration.
Additionally, a significant amount of funding has been allocated towards enhancing the psychiatric hospital system in the state. This system caters to the needs of the most severely mentally ill patients, many of whom originate from the state’s correctional facilities. Out of the $25 billion dedicated to mental health in the state budget within the last nine years, a minimum of $4 billion has been utilized for the renovation, construction, and staffing of state hospitals.
Hansch and the Boleware from the Hogg Foundation emphasize the necessity for Texas to develop a more precise strategy. This strategy should encompass various aspects, including the recruitment of additional healthcare professionals, more direct interventions, and the establishment of universal access to healthcare services. It should prioritize ensuring that every resident of this expansive state, and not just children or individuals involved in criminal cases residing in major urban centers, can effortlessly access the necessary healthcare services.
“Boleware emphasized the importance of directing additional funds towards prevention, early intervention, and support services for all individuals in need, rather than solely prioritizing those in severe crisis. However, it is regrettable that mere funding is insufficient to guarantee fair and equal access to services throughout the state.”
Disclosure: Hogg Foundation for Mental Health has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
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