MEGAN N. CLINGHAM, director of the R.I. Office of the Mental Health Advocate, was presented with the 2023 Mental Health Hero of the Year award from the Mental Health Association of Rhode Island in May for her compassion and advocacy for people with serious persistent mental illness.
What does receiving this award mean to you? None of us do this work for awards, but I am highly honored to be recognized by my fellow advocates at MHARI for the work I and my colleagues … do.
How profound has the mental health crisis in the state become since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic? The crisis started long before COVID-19, as funding for services has been cut and reimbursement rates remain stagnant, leading to the deterioration of our entire system of care for people living with serious and persistent mental illness. … I think the isolation, anxiety and lack of ability to provide in-person services during the pandemic all contributed to the surge in treatment needs we are now seeing. I think it also contributed … to the difficulty health care providers are experiencing in recruiting and maintaining staff.
How have you and the office responded to mental health needs? We represent tenants in eviction proceedings and other matters pertaining to housing retention, intervene and advocate for safe discharge from psychiatric hospitalization so our clients receive the level of treatment they need to stay safe in the community, and monitor and advocate for individuals with [serious and persistent mental illness] caught up in the criminal legal system and incarcerated at the [Adult Correctional Institutions] or detained at the Rhode Island State Psychiatric Hospital and Eleanor Slater Hospital.
There have been multiple instances of funding distributed to local schools to address mental health needs. What will this funding mean for the state to help address mental health issues with schoolchildren? Teachers are often the first to notice when a student is struggling, so it makes sense to bring the mental health supports right to the schools. Adding mental health services to the resources available at school will raise awareness that help is available and reduce the stigma of reaching out for help.
What more needs to be done to address mental health in the state? The state needs to put money into establishing a continuum of care for individuals living with serious persistent mental illness. The state has invested in many studies telling us what the needs are; now is the time to fund them.
