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. 25 <br /> views. We do not have direct evidence of a shortage of mental health assistance for Lexington <br /> youth, only the conviction of providers and counselors to this effect. It could be <br /> argued, for instance,that adolescents appear to be"managing"their lives in Lexington rather <br /> well now, if the criteria used were youth suicides and incidents of violence. We do not subscribe <br /> to this argument in the light of what we have learned from our interviews, but more evidence is <br /> needed. <br /> We could also ask about the standard that should be used in gauging the extent to <br /> which public agencies and especially local government should manage the need for mental <br /> health services. We would note that the new state parity law equating mental illness and <br /> emotional distress with physical illness and injuries places mental health on a footing identical to <br /> that given public health concerns of all kinds. Our view, in addition to supporting the existing <br /> commitments of the Commonwealth, is that it is strongly in the self-interest of Lexington's <br /> governmental leadership to monitor and foster the availability of mental health services. <br /> 6. RECOMMENDATIONS <br /> The challenge facing this study project has been to arrive at recommendations to the <br /> Board of Selectmen that do not contradict that body's urgent quest for ways in which to <br /> fill the extreme gap between town expenditure requirements and available revenues. We <br /> therefore offer just a few no-cost recommendations for the Board's consideration. Our <br /> premise is that the well-being of Lexington's citizens, especially the youth who make up so <br /> much of its life as a residential community, depends in part on having ready access to mental <br /> health services within the town in the immediate years ahead. <br /> 1. The Board should make earnest and sustained efforts to encourage the Lexington <br /> School Committee to change its current policies of risk management and avoidance of <br /> psychological and counseling assistance to students. The change should be strongly toward the <br /> provision of mental health services by appropriate staff now employed by the Lexington <br /> Public Schools. <br /> 2. Lexington school policy makers and staff practitioners should also be encouraged <br /> to better utilize the considerable professional resources available within Lexington as part <br />