June 27th, 2008

In a letter to the editor in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer, the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Alliance Tim Wilson, fires back at The Dept. of Public Welfare’s Secretary Estelle Richman’s letter published earlier this week.   Richman had claimed there was no need for the 3% cost of living adjustment for mental health and mental retardation (MH-MR) facilities.  She said there has been adaquate funding since 2003 to help mentally retarded citizens currently on waiting lists for services.

Wilson argues: “But as The Inquirer noted (“Shorting those in need,” June 23), annual increases for most of the services have been insufficient. Richman failed to note that the increase in funding she mentions is for expanded services, and not for the existing services that more than 700,000 individuals rely on. State funding has not kept pace with inflation.”