Richard Moore focused on the fiscal problems with mental health.
Asked at a press conference for his take on Gov. Mike Easley's handling of reform, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate responded to the budgetary problems recently highlighted by an N&O series, which found that $400 million had been wasted.
"There is no doubt that somewhere in the bookkeeping arena of (Health and Human Services), somebody was asleep," he said.
He said one of the "real challenges" of government is keeping track of spending, then said that he wants the state to focus on solutions.
"I hope we don't spend a lot of time throwing stones on this," he said. "We have a mental health system today that is dysfunctional in this state and we need to get about the business of getting it back on its feet as quickly as we can."
After the press conference official ended, Moore referred to his ongoing dispute with gubernatorial rival Beverly Perdue about debates.
"I'd love to have a debate about this," he said.
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Re: Moore: No time for stone-throwing
Blaming it on somebody in the bookkeeping department? You've got to be kidding.
The fault is with those who thought there were competent, compassionate and capable mental-health providers in the hinterlands. The only way places like Edgecombe and Bladen and Cherokee counties (picked at random, nothing specifically against them but they are rural with small populations and less than prosperous) will ever have good mental health services is for the state to go back and reestablish a system of publicly operated mental health centers with day programs and clinical outpatient services, etc., and to make these centers a place for practitioners at least to begin a secure career with the state. Maybe they'll choose to continue it there, but at least there will be SOME honest and trained professionals around!