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by gamblor956 2395 days ago
No, the closure of mental institutions occurred during the Reagan administration because he cut funding for treating mental illness from his budget.

In CA, when he was governor, Reagan ordered the closure of many facilities.
1 comments
refurb 2395 days ago
No, there was a society-wide push to close institutions. Reagan might make for a nice whipping boy, but putting it all on him is just silly.
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gamblor956 2394 days ago
No, this is false. The number of patients dropped but almost all facilities remained open and were improving care.

Reagan than decimated the mental health department in CA below sustainable levels, and followed that up by ending federal funding of mental health treatment only a few years after trying to make the federal government pay for it when he was governor. As most state budgets no longer covered mental health, the result was an enormous drop in government spending on mental health.

And yes, it's all directly traceable to Reagan.

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