Mainstreaming Should Be Goal

I disagree with the article “CMHC: Dream Deferred But Still Worthwhile,” which appeared in the February 6 issue. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of mentally ill people will never go to a community mental health center.

If we want to eliminate stigma and achieve parity, we need to stop segregating people with mental illness and mainstream them into the “regular” health care system. The federal government funds more than 1,500 federally qualified health centers in the country. There should be psychiatrists in every one of them. This is where the future of psychiatry is. This is where the patients are.