Associate professor Anthony Hatcher had a column denouncing the state of North Carolina’s plan to close Dorothea Dix Hospital, which has treated mentally ill patients for more than 100 years, published in the Raleigh News & Observer Aug. 2.
Hatcher writes:
“According to U.S. Army data released in May, cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among all U.S. troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan surged 46.4 percent in 2007, bringing the five-year total to more than 38,000.
“At the same time, North Carolina is rushing to close down Dorothea Dix Hospital, which has been treating mentally ill patients since before the Civil War. …
“Shouldn’t our capital city be home to a first-class mental health hospital, especially for war veterans who sacrifice for us all?”