[Excerpts]

As Maricopa County ballots are mailed out on Wednesday, voters will soon decide on the future of a large behavioral and emergency health system upgrade that could increase property taxes.

The bond measure is called Proposition 409 and would benefit Valleywise’s inpatient, outpatient, and behavioral health services.

…Reverend Sandy Johnson with Red Mountain United Methodist Church said Prop 409 will “save lives.”

She’s working as a leader with the Valley Interfaith Project, to advocate for greater mental health resources across our area.

“To me, it’s a small price to pay. You never know when we’re going to be the one in crisis,” Johnson said. "My first career was in mental health. I was a behavioral therapist.”

Johnson said the limitations of behavioral health care hit close to home when she became a mother.

"My youngest, when she was 16, had a mental health crisis and required hospitalization. We were really limited in where she could go,” Johnson said.

[Photo Credit: ABC15 Arizona]

Maricopa County Ballots go out Wednesday, What's on Proposition 409, ABC15 Arizona [pdf]