Why a landmark settlement from the '80s hasn't fixed Arizona's mental health care

By Steve Goldstein
Published: Tuesday, November 2, 2021 - 1:30pm
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Amy Silverman
Amy Silverman

The complications of providing mental health care have been increasingly in the spotlight over the course of the pandemic as the way we relate to each other has understandably changed. But for those who had already been receiving mental health assistance in Arizona, the challenges of finding proper treatment have been evident for decades.

The settlement of the decades-long lawsuit Arnold v. Sarn was supposed to lead to significant improvements, but a series of stories by the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting (AZCIR) has revealed the continued existence of major problems.

Amy Silverman is a longtime Arizona journalist and a contributing editor to AZCIR. She wrote the series, and The Show spoke with her to learn about her findings.

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