Texas Gov. Abbott, who is currently running for reelection, has appeared to make access to mental health care a political priority following the Uvalde massacre. However, the plan falls short of local and state needs.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a 'Get Out The Vote' rally on Oct. 27, 2022 in Katy, Texas.A white tent looms over the grounds of the Uvalde County Fairplex, a sparse multipurpose venue that previously hosted rodeos, quinceañeras and the annual firemen's ball, now home to Texas's newest trauma center and Gov. Greg Abbott's latest self-declared success.
In response to questions from ABC News, his office pointed to Uvalde Resiliency as "a hub for community services … being run by the Uvalde community." They pointed to a $105 million The Robb Elementary School sign is seen covered in flowers and gifts on June 17, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas.Immediately after the shooting, Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee applied for and received $5 million from the state-funded Texas Crime Victims Assistance Grant Program to build and run the Uvalde Together Resiliency Center.Soon after, Abbott also allocated $1.
According to the Resiliency Center's interim executive director Mary Beth Fisk, the center has so far provided over 3,800 contacts in the community, with over 1,900 clinical visits serving more than 700 individuals. Local practitioners say they have received negative feedback from community members regarding the quality of care, the therapeutic environment, and the long wait times at the center, all exacerbated by cultural taboos stigmatizing mental health care and poor insurance coverage in the largely Latino community.
When asked about frustrations some members of the Uvalde community have expressed about accessing various resources, Fisk defended the work of the Resiliency Center, emphasizing how quickly the center took over the role of its predecessor, the Family Assistance Center, to provide mental and behavioral health services, as well as the role it has served as a lending hand for victims and survivors seeking financial aid.
And a closer look at the governor's published breakdown of the budget shows that only $16.5 million out of the $105.5 million — about 15% of the total that the Abbott administration has touted — went to expand statewide mental health resources, while the other 85% has been allocated toward police training, personnel travel, and security upgrades for classrooms, including $50 million for bullet-resistant shields.
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