Coverage spotlighed behavioral health challenges
Editor: Scranton Counseling Center would like to extend our sincere appreciation to your newspaper and to Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA for the Jan. 4 article highlighting the challenges facing community behavioral health providers across Pennsylvania. Bringing attention to chronic underfunding and systemic strain is critical to fostering public understanding and encouraging meaningful solutions.
At the same time, we believe it is equally important to recognize the resilience, innovation, and scope of care that community providers continue to deliver despite these challenges. Scranton Counseling Center serves approximately 10,000 individuals each year and offers more than 15 unique services across multiple levels of care, including outpatient services, partial hospitalization, psychiatric rehabilitation, crisis services, and a wide range of community-based programs such as blended case management and school-based services. We are continuously and diligently working to expand our staffing complement, reduce wait times and ensure clients can access the services they need as quickly and efficiently as possible.
In addition to maintaining these essential services, we continue to invest in new and innovative treatment options to meet the evolving needs of our community. Together, we can continue to advocate for the resources necessary to strengthen Pennsylvania’s behavioral health system — for the individuals and families who rely on it, and for the professionals who make this work possible.
We are deeply grateful to Ms. Ohl for shedding light on the funding challenges faced by behavioral health providers, and we remain proud of the compassionate, innovative care our staff deliver every day. Even amid financial constraints, our mission remains steadfast: to provide comprehensive and accessible behavioral health care that promotes wellness and empowers individuals to live their best lives.
Sarah Wodder, Psy.D. , President and CEO, and Margaret McNulty, M.S., Chair, Board of Directors, Scranton Counseling Center