There is much more happening here than the cutting of vital programs. The situation is dire enough without removing the programs that kept the mental health system running fairly smoothly through the past decade.
We are already seeing the effects of the possibility of some of these programs going away. Crises have increased. People are upset because the agencies they have established relationships with may not be here any longer. It is not simply the agency that has made this relationship successful. It is the human connection, the interaction and the rapport that was built over many, many years that made this successful. It simply doesn't make sense to believe that a new agency or even an agency with a new name without this same rapport will be able to do the same work and avert crises, at least not immediately, and probably not for years, as is true of the other agencies that have worked hard in your community.
Another concern is that County Mental Health is having to lay off people already. In addition to this, they will have an influx of new admissions into an already overtaxed system. One person made the comment that they are too busy to see everyone on a regular basis. They will, however, be available if someone goes into crisis. Really? There are 150 misplaced severely mentally ill people that are being transferred to the county or to other agencies just from one program closing. The new CARES program only has 12 beds.
It costs so much money to hospitalize someone. A 72-hour hold may cost close to $2400 ($800/avg per day - this is a conservative amount). If we take away the foundation, then even the ones that were doing well in the community will panic and will be hospitalized. This is going to have huge repercussions in our community. We are also going to have an increase in jail time. This is all certainly not going to save the county any money. In the long run, we will end up spending more money with all the increased hospitalizations and jail time. Not to mention the priceless cost of lives lost.
Previous Month
Posted on June 4 at 9:01 p.m.
There is much more happening here than the cutting of vital programs. The situation is dire enough without removing the programs that kept the mental health system running fairly smoothly through the past decade.
We are already seeing the effects of the possibility of some of these programs going away. Crises have increased. People are upset because the agencies they have established relationships with may not be here any longer. It is not simply the agency that has made this relationship successful. It is the human connection, the interaction and the rapport that was built over many, many years that made this successful. It simply doesn't make sense to believe that a new agency or even an agency with a new name without this same rapport will be able to do the same work and avert crises, at least not immediately, and probably not for years, as is true of the other agencies that have worked hard in your community.
Another concern is that County Mental Health is having to lay off people already. In addition to this, they will have an influx of new admissions into an already overtaxed system. One person made the comment that they are too busy to see everyone on a regular basis. They will, however, be available if someone goes into crisis. Really? There are 150 misplaced severely mentally ill people that are being transferred to the county or to other agencies just from one program closing. The new CARES program only has 12 beds.
It costs so much money to hospitalize someone. A 72-hour hold may cost close to $2400 ($800/avg per day - this is a conservative amount). If we take away the foundation, then even the ones that were doing well in the community will panic and will be hospitalized. This is going to have huge repercussions in our community. We are also going to have an increase in jail time. This is all certainly not going to save the county any money. In the long run, we will end up spending more money with all the increased hospitalizations and jail time. Not to mention the priceless cost of lives lost.
On Dark Cloud Over Mental Health