Busy times ahead for Ellis?

As dean of his school, Larry James oversees the Duke E. Ellis Institute, a 30,000-square-foot facility that houses Wright State’s doctoral program for mental health professionals while serving as a clinic for underserved Dayton-area residents.

As the economy sputters and Ohio’s government prepares to slash spending, Dr. Larry James worries about the blow to those most vulnerable – the mentally ill, the physically abused and the children.

“There are going to be a significant number of citizens in our communities that I’m afraid to say may have to go without services–be it substance abuse, drug abuse treatment, marriage and family counseling, services for children suffering from attention deficit disorder or other serious mental-health disorders,” said James, dean of Wright State University’s School of Professional Psychology.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Ohio had the 15^th largest budget cut to mental health by percentage among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, with an 11.3 percent reduction from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2011, or a total of $57.7 million. And Ohio budget proposals recommend cuts of an additional $3.3 million over the next two years.

This comes as Ohio’s economy continues to bleed, reeling from plant closings, the loss of nearly 400,000 manufacturing jobs in the past decade and a current unemployment rate that hovers around 9 percent.

“In our lifetime, we’ve never seen an economic situation this bad,” James said. “We know that every time the unemployment rate begins to creep up and manufacturing plants start to close, substance abuse rates are going to go up, robberies are going to go up, spouse abuse is going to go up, reports of clinical depression are going to go up. And we’re seeing it.”

James should know. As dean of his school, James oversees the Duke E. Ellis Institute, a 30,000-square-foot facility that houses Wright State’s doctoral program for mental health professionals while serving as a clinic for underserved Dayton-area residents.

The institute is a nationally accredited facility and has several award-winning programs. It has a staff of 12 licensed psychologists who are faculty, eight support staff, two post-doctoral fellows, five clinical psychology interns, 23 practicum students and two graduate assistants. The programs and treatment are administered by Mary Ann Drewry, a licensed social worker.

Given the feeble economy and budget cuts, the Ellis Institute can be the answer for the mentally ill and others who need mental health services, James says.

“What we’re seeing is longer waiting lists at a lot of the community mental health centers than we’ve ever seen before,” said James. “The Ellis Institute is committed to meeting the needs of the underserved in this community. It is one of Wright State’s diamonds, quite frankly. It is a high-powered facility.”

Children can be especially vulnerable to reduced services. For example, a first-grader who fails to get help for attention deficit disorder faces a strong possibility of spending a large part of his adult life in jail, or being lost in our society, James says.

And he says adults with mental health problems that go untreated are MIA–Missing in America.

“They oftentimes can’t enjoy what our nation has to offer because of the ravages of a mental illness, clinical depression, bipolar disorder or some substance abuse disorder,” James says. “That’s why our university and the Ellis Institute have made a commitment to not deny services to anyone. We will see anyone regardless of their ability to pay.”

By failing to treat mental illnesses due to budget cuts, society may be risking more tragedies such as the recent shooting rampage in Tucson that killed six people and left 13 wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

“My fear is that it’s going to make the problem worse,” James said. “We may as well make the commitment to pay for these services on the front end because society is going to pay for this one way or the other.”

James is hoping the private sector and the generosity of individuals who understand the need will offer financial support to the Ellis Institute. He says it would be money well spent.

“We pride ourselves on being the very best,” James says. “For us to maintain that gold standard, we have got to recruit the very best students in the state, in the region, in the country, in the world. And the more money we raise, the more staff I can hire to deliver more of these cutting-edge, innovative services.”