The Task Force on Equity of Resource Allocation, established in November by Karen Hale, commissioner of the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, has just submitted its report. The task force has translated its extensive work into a concise document containing more than enough information to serve as both a wake-up call and a call to action.
External equity refers to Texas funding as compared to funding in other states.
Internal equity, meaning funding across Texas, is not a new problem but persists despite efforts to achieve parity. No group recommends that the higher-funded areas across Texas be brought down to the state average because the majority of these areas still are funded below the national average. In Texas today, thousands of people are on waiting lists for mental health and mental retardation services and thousands more are in need. In addition, evidence indicates an increased need for mental health services in areas with high poverty rates and for people without insurance. We need to discuss these issues with our legislators and local officials now, before they get caught up in the tsunami of the legislative session.