- 17 DEAD, 14 WOUNDED.
GRIM NUMBERS IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE HORRIFIC SCHOOL SHOOTING IN
FLORIDA ON WEDNESDAY.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SPOKE TO THE TRAGEDY ON THURSDAY.
- TO EVERY PARENT, TEACHER AND CHILD WHO IS HURTING SO BADLY,
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU, WHATEVER YOU NEED, WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO
EASE YOUR PAIN.
WE ARE ALL JOINED TOGETHER AS ONE AMERICAN FAMILY.
AND YOUR SUFFERING IS OUR BURDEN, ALSO.
NO CHILD, NO TEACHER, SHOULD EVER BE IN DANGER IN AN AMERICAN
SCHOOL.
- HERE'S WHAT WISCONSIN'S U.S.
SENATORS HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTING,
STARTING WITH DEMOCRAT TAMMY BALDWIN, WHO SAID MY HEART
BREAKS FOR THE VICTIMS OF S SENSELESS GUN VIOLENCE IN
BROWARD COUNTY.
THIS IS ANOTHER TRAGEDY OUR NATION MUST CONFRONT.
REPUBLICAN RON JOHNSON TWEETED, HORRIFIED BY THE SENSELESS ACT
OF VIOLENCE IN FLORIDA TODAY.
MY PRAYERS GO OUT TO ALL THE FAMILIES A I
FAMILIES AFFECTED.
- IN THE AFTERMATH OF THIS W EEK'S SHOOTING IN FLORIDA, THE
DEBATE OVER GUNS AROSE AGAIN, AS IT DOES WITH EACH SUCCESSIVE
MASS SHOOTING AND LOSS OF LIFE.
MANY POLITICIANS PIVOTED TO THE ROLE OF MENTAL HEALTH IN SUCH
CRIMES.
IN TONIGHT'S CLOSER LOOK WE TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND WHETHER
THERE ARE GAPS IN FUNDING OR ACCESS.
WE ARE JOINED BY NATE SCHORR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS, WISCONSIN.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
- THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
- IT WAS POLITICIANS INCLUDING PRESIDENT TRUMP, SENATOR RYAN
AND GOVERNOR WALKER TALKING ABOUT THEIR REACTION TO THIS
SCHOOL IN PARTICULAR.
HOW DOES WISCONSIN FARE IN TERMS OF ITS FUNDING FOR MENTAL H
EALTH?
- WELL, IT'S A COMPLICATED QUESTION WHICH WILL HAVE SORT OF
A COMPLICATED ANSWER.
AND I THINK THAT MENTAL HEALTH IS SOMETHING THAT THERE'S NO ONE
TREATMENT OR THERE'S NO ONE SPECIFIC THING THAT WE'RE
PUSHING FOR OR THAT'S GOING TO MAKE THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN
THAT ARE AFFECTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS, THAT'S GOING TO SOLVE
THAT FOR THEM.
SO I THINK THAT THERE ARE CERTAINLY THINGS THAT WISCONSIN
IS DOING WELL AND THERE'S CERTAINLY THINGS THAT WISCONSIN
DOES ALLOCATE MONEY TOWARD THAT DOES MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE FOR
THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN THAT ARE AFFECTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS.
BUT I THINK WHAT IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO IS ULTIMATELY THERE'S SO
MUCH MORE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AND THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAT WE
DO WANT TO FOCUS ON AND ALLOCATE MONEY AND TIME AND ENERGY
TOWARDS AND ALSO RESHAPE PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT IT
MEANS TO BE AFFECTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS.
- I'VE READ THAT FLORIDA IN PARTICULAR HAS A REAL FUNDING
GAP IN TERMS OF SPENDING FOR MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVES.
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WISCONSIN COMPARES?
- I DON'T HAVE AS MUCH OF A PERSPECTIVE--
I'M OBVIOUSLY A LITTLE BIT MORE FOCUSED
ON WHAT'S GOING ON HERE IN WISCONSIN.
WHEN I DO SPEAK TO COLLEAGUES IN OTHER STATES, I KNOW THAT THERE
ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WISCONSIN
IS DEFINITELY A LEADER IN.
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WISCONSIN DOESN'T DO AS WELL.
BUT I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY
WAS REALLY CHAMPIONED HERE IN WISCONSIN.
MY ORGANIZATION, NAMI, WAS FOUNDED HERE IN MADISON 40 YEARS
AGO.
WHEN YOU COMPARE TO THAT OTHER STATE ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN NAMI,
YOU'LL SEE IN GENERAL NAM I -WISCONSIN REALLY BENEFITS FROM
A COMMUNITY THAT AT LEAST COMPARATIVELY IS INVESTED IN THE
MENTAL HEALTH OF ITS COMMUNITY.
- I KNOW THAT RECENT STATE BUDGETS HAVE INCREASED FUNDING
FOR MENTAL HEALTH, BUT WHERE WOULD YOU REGARD THIS KIND OF
FUNDING IS NEEDED MOST IN WISCONSIN?
- YEAH.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS THA THAT YOU COULD O
WITH THAT.
THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WISCONSIN HAS BEEN DOING REALLY
WELL.
ONE THING IN PARTICULAR THAT WE'RE ONLY GOING TO SEE MORE AND
MORE INVESTMENT IN AND I THINK THAT IS CERTAINLY IMPORTANT FOR
US IS CRISIS INTERVENTION TRAINING, WHICH IS A 40-HOUR,
WEEK-LONG TRAINING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO BETTER
UNDERSTAND HOW TO INTERACT AND WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE
EXPERIENCING SOME SORT OF MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS OR SOME SORT OF
MENTAL HEALTH EPISODE.
- I KNOW THAT THE SHERIFF IN BROWARD COUNTY WAS QUOTED AS
SAYING IT'S A PRETTY GOOD ASSUMPTION THAT THE SHOOTER HAD
UNSPECIFIED MENTAL HEALTH I SSUES.
HOW COULD MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT HELP PREVENT WHAT
HAPPENED IN FLORIDA?
- I THINK AN IMPORTANT WAY FOR US TO MAYBE FRAME THAT
CONVERSATION OR LOOK AT THAT CONVERSATION IS THAT WOMEN -- E
WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ARE NO MORE LIKELY TO PERPETRATE VIOLENT
CRIMES THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION AND IN FACT PEOPLE
WITH MENTAL ILLNESS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE LIKELY TO BE
VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIMES, AND PARTICULARLY WITH GUN VIOLENCE
AS IT RELATES TO SUICIDE ATTEMPTS.
AND SO I THINK WHEN IT COMES TO A SITUATION LIKE WHAT JUST
HAPPENED, THESE ARE TERRIBLE EVENTS, BUT WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE
TRY TO DO IS TO TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF THE SITUATION, YOU TRY
TO LOOK FOR -- TO PUT PEOPLE IN A BOX AND TRY TO PUT THINGS IN A
WAY THAT MAKES SENSE TO THEM, WHEN IT'S OBVIOUSLY A LOT MORE
COMPLICATED THAN A SPECIFIC PERSON'S DIAGNOSIS.
SO I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO FRAME THE CONVERSATION A WAY
THAT ISN'T DEMONIZING PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS.
- SURE, BUT THERE WERE RED FLAGS IN TERMS OF BEHAVIOR THAT
ARE LEARNED IN HINDSIGHT IN THIS KIND OF SITUATION AS IN FLORIDA.
- RIGHT.
- SO WHO IS IT INCUMBENT UPON TO GET SOMEONE HELP BEFORE THAT
KIND OF THING HAPPENS?
- AND, AGAIN, THERE'S A LOT THAT GOES INTO THAT QUESTION.
I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IN
WISCONSIN IS THERE IS A HUGE PUSH FOR EARLY INTERVENTION WITH
PEOPLE THAT ARE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH.
THERE IS A LOT OF MONEY IN OUR -- AN INCREASE IN FUNDING IN OUR
MOST RECENT STATE BUDGET ALLOCATED TOWARD MENTAL HEALTH
INTERVENTION AND SCREENING IN SCHOOLS, WHICH IS VERY I
MPORTANT.
I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF YOUNG CHILDREN, A LOT OF YOUTH
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN AS A WHOLE THAT ARE
AFFECTED BY MENTAL ILLNESS THAT AREN'T GETTING ACCESS TO THE
TREATMENT THAT THEY NEED WHEN THEY ARE CERTAINLY EXPERIENCING
SOME SORT OF, YOU KNOW, MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION.
- ALL RIGHT.
WE LEAVE IT THERE.
DIFFICULT DISCUSSIONS.
NATE SCHORR, THANKS VERY MUCH.
- HEY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.