Southeast Minnesota lawmakers voiced varying levels of support for improving the state’s mental health care system as they campaigned this year.

With nine recommendations in hand from the state mental health task force, that support needs to spur action in the upcoming legislative session.

When we asked candidates — incumbents and challengers — about the issue prior to the task force’s November report, those set to fill House and Senate seats suggested all options be put on the table and considered for discussion, from funding new care centers to providing community services to address mental health concerns early.

One of the most outspoken candidates was Sen. Dave Senjem, who made it a lead issue in his campaign material. “I know this disease,” the Rochester Republican said, noting family members have struggled with mental illness.

At the time, he suggested he may propose a $100 million bonding bill for new state infrastructure to address the lack of mental health care beds in the state. He noted it might not get support needed to pass, but it would start conversations.

“We’ve got to light up this issue in the state legislature,” he said.

While we agree pressure needs to be applied to ensure the issue stays on the forefront of discussions, infrastructure may not be the solution for most needs.

While the task force cites a need for improving acute care capacity and housing stability for people dealing with mental illness, Sue Abderholden, executive director of NAMI Minnesota, also highlights a long list of potential bills to provide improved training and treatment programs, as well as efforts to overcome existing employment barriers and other concerns.

Rep. Tina Liebling cited the issue’s complexity when she spoke with the Post Bulletin Editorial Board before the November election. While much attention is put on the bed shortages seen throughout the state, the Rochester DFLer said the bottleneck is created by a lack of community services to help avoid hospitalization and not having enough resources to ensure proper care after treatment, meaning beds are occupied longer than needed.

“Solutions to this are going to require a lot of input from the people in the state and at the federal level, too.” she said. “We have to talk about funding.”

We were encouraged to hear the same message from many incumbents who are often viewed as opposing added spending.

Rep. Greg Davids, who has spent much of the last two years looking to cut taxes as House Taxes Committee chairman, said it’s about priorities, and improving the state’s mental health care system needs to be a bipartisan priority.

“That would be one of my priorities, because if you don’t get people help right now, it doesn’t get better, it gets worse,” the Preston Republican said.

It’s a statement that mirrors the current state system. As many local legislators noted, the state has failed to provide communities with required support after institutions were closed. If that lack of support continues, things will only get worse.

We, however, see growing hope for making things better with bipartisan support in our corner of the state and clear recommendations from the state’s task force.

— Rochester Post Bulletin, Dec. 23