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Thursday, September 18, 1986, pp. 1 and 17.

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Youth care needs funds

WAYNE COUNTY - Donald Thompson, executive director of Wayne County Children & Youth Services (C&YS) made a strong plea for additional funds at Monday evening's public hearing held in the conference room of the Wayne County Court House.

Speaking to Martin McGurrid, assistant administrator of the Lackawanna-Susquehanna-Wayne Counties Mental Health/Mental Retardation Program (MH/MR), Thompson expressed reluctance about sending trouble Wayne County children to Carbondale or Scranton for placement.

"We've got to do it in Wayne County. We can't sit here and wait for what you [MH/MR] are developing over the mountain. We need it here!" said Thompson.

"There's no turning back," Thompson told the 15 human service professionals at the meeting. He cited serious educational, emotional, and social program needs in the county's crisis-intervention delivery system.

Speaking of the Wayne County Group Home in Berlin Township, Thompson state, "We don't pretend to be a residential treatment center. We have a high number of kids that need something more than we can [presently] give them in terms of therapeutic treatment and counseling.

Thompson cited a recent rise in statistics of child suicide and sexual abuse. In the last year, he said, his agency has dealt with four seriously suicidal youngsters. Other workers who were present also cited statistical jumps in their own agencies during 1985-86 in these areas.

McGurrid explained that MH/MR is, before anything, looking to maintain its existing services, implying that Gramm-Rudman federal funding cuts could seriously hinder MH/MR's ability to serve the community.

MH/MR hopes, however, to expand training programs and sheltered workshops such as the Human Resource Center (HRC) in Berlin Township, said McGurrid. He added, however, that the agency hopes to rely more on the public sector for the funding of on-the-job training projects.

Additionally, MH/MR plans to promote concepts like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) in some of the more rural areas it serves, said McGurrid.

Public input from Wayne County residents on the formulation of a 1986-87 plan by MH/MR is invited.