BENNETT PLEDGES TO UPDATE COUNTY’S OUTDATED MENTAL HEALTH PLAN
(Egg Harbor Township) Atlantic County District 3 Freeholder candidate Ashley Bennett pledged to lead an effort to update Atlantic County government’s outdated mental health plan, which hasn’t been updated since 2010.

“A lot has changed in the last seven years, from more research into mental health to socioeconomic challenges in our area that adversely affect public health,” said Ashley Bennett, a mental health professional. “Atlantic County needs a new mental health plan so we can get updated figures and resources and come up with a current plan to address the needs of our citizens.”

Bennett noted that, if elected, she would work with stakeholders in both the public and nonprofit sectors to update the county’s mental health plan. In addition, she also intends to become the Freeholder Board’s liaison to the county’s Mental Health Advisory Board.

“Since this plan was adopted in 2010, the opioid epidemic has skyrocketed in our county, Atlantic City has four less casinos, leaving higher rates of unemployment and poverty, and the Affordable Care Act has taken effect,” said Bennett. “The field of mental health is a field that constantly seeks to strive to adhere to best practices, and an outdated plan does not reflect that.”

“It is a disgrace that the county’s mental health plan hasn’t been updated in all of this time. We need to see what areas we have improved and what goals have yet to be achieved. We need to know what barriers to treatment and services still exist and what the county can do to support our providers in the area. We also need to know what services are needed that have yet to be implemented. As a Freeholder, one of my priorities will be to assess our mental health needs and ways to attack them.”