In this segment of Making Democracy Work, Debbie Good talks with Chuck Hollister, executive director of the Missouri Psychological Association, about mental health care issues in the state.
According to Hollister, mental healthcare access is a challenge in Missouri. Only ten out of 114 Missouri counties have adequate mental healthcare access, he says. Some counties have only one provider for every 10,000 residents. He says 48 percent of Medicaid recipients have a mental illness.
Access to care, according to Hollister, results in increased productivity, lower crime rates, fewer traffic crashes and more.