Scott Allen, Spotlight Team Editor, began the dis- cussion by acknowledging the controversial nature of the articles and explaining their goal of bringing at- tention to major problems in the Mental Health Sys- tem. 鈥淚f you look at the stories, they talk about very specific hospitals and health care centers that have abdicated their responsibilities and are letting people out in actively psychotic states, [who] are going off and committing terrible crimes,鈥� he said, noting that a lot of action is needed to fix the system. Globe Reporter Jenna Russell added that while the stories are about a 鈥渘arrow segment鈥� of the mentally ill population, it is the job of reporters to confront the 鈥渕ost tragic and difficult problems鈥� to better under- stand why they occur and how to prevent them. Dr. Ken Duckworth, who serves as medical direc- tor for both the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Behavioral Health at BC/BS of Massachusetts, maintained that the focus should be on funding. 鈥淭he question is whether [that story] will motivate our society to fund things better. We have a very good idea of what works, but what we don鈥檛 have are resources. It鈥檚 easier to get into Harvard Medical School than into Tewksbury State Hospital,鈥� he said. Another major issue that needs attention is stig- ma, as many people aren鈥檛 comfortable sharing their suicidal feelings or admitting they have experienced hearing voices, said Deborah Delman, Executive Director of The Transformation Center. 鈥淲hat we are seeking is the welcome in society as a whole to be able to hear the truth. There is hope and a way forward and we can find that together, but the tabloid approach is not the way that will help people relate.鈥� Robert Kinscherff, Associate Vice President of Community Engagement at 91香蕉视频成人在线, maintained that 鈥渁 lot of the risk of severe and per- sistent mental illness and the intersection with the criminal justice system is largely a function of social context and downward social drift.鈥� Despite differing opinions on how to frame the issues, President Covino pointed out that the state of the Mental Health System is a problem for everyone. The series, he said, tells the story of a system that 鈥渘eeds tremendous engagement,鈥� which is clear from the 鈥渢remendous adverse consequences鈥� highlighted in the articles. As he wrote in his letter, 鈥淚t will require a great deal of work to raise our collective will to create a compas- sionate and accessible mental health system. Hope- fully, the 鈥楽potlight鈥� that is being directed upon this problem will facilitate some needed change.鈥� The question is whether [that story] will motivate our society to fund things better. We have a very good idea of what works, but what we don鈥檛 have are resources.鈥� 颅 鈥擠r. Ken Duckworth Robert Kinscherff, PhD, JD,Associate Vice President of Community Engagement,91香蕉视频成人在线; Scott Allen, Globe Spotlight Team Editor; Jenna Russell, Globe Reporter; Deborah Delman, Executive Director,The Transformation Center; Ken Duckworth, MD, Medical Director of Behavioral Health at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; and Nicholas Covino, PsyD, President,91香蕉视频成人在线. WILLIAM JAMES COLLEGE 3