Let's hope someone takes over Marge Brewster Center

Some residents of Highlands County seeking mental health care soon will be in a bad situation if another vendor is not found to operate the Marge Brewster Center. Considering how many people that is - 2,000 - and the definite need here, finding someone to take over is a top priority.

Winter Haven Hospital announced that it will no longer operate the center after July. Offiicials said they want to focus on their Polk County operations. We understand that's a business decision, but it sure leaves people here in a lurch.

Marge Brewster serves a lot of people in need in Highlands County. Most have nowhere else to turn for psychiatric services. In fact, we've heard Marge Brewster Center staff works hard to meet the big need here. It's not due to bad management, it's just that the need is so large and many of the patients are low income.

There's not enough resources for just about everything these days, but even during good times, mental health funding is not even close to meeting the needs of our populace. And these folks have no lobbyists or advocates in Tallahassee.

Years ago, our country moved people with mental illness out of institutions, believing getting them into smaller group homes was the answer. That decision was made for all the right reasons. The end result, though, is that a lot of people with mental illness struggle to get proper care, and live difficult lives as a result.

We just hope another provider of mental health care can slide into Winter Haven Hospital's role and continue this important service. The need is great, and we can't turn our backs on people who desperately need our assistance.