Budget crunch in NJ threatens mental health programs

From The Advocate:

NEWARK, N.J. — If Gov. Ted Strickland’s much-debated proposed budget cuts are approved by Ohio lawmakers, Licking County could see its mental health and drug and alcohol services reduced, said Community Mental Health and Recovery Board Executive Director Wendy Williams.

The board receives money from federal and state sources in addition to a local 1-mill levy. That money in turn is distributed to several Licking County nonprofit agencies that provide care to more than 7,500 local residents.

These agencies include the Licking County Alcoholism Prevention Program, The Main Place, Mental Health America, Moundbuilders Guidance Center, Pathways of Central Ohio, the Woodlands and the Kraner Youth and Family Behavioral Health Campus.

Combined, these groups provide prevention, treatment and care for individuals in with mental illnesses and those in need of outpatient drug and alcohol treatment.

Already, the group is working with less funding to serve a growing population, but the cuts proposed by Strickland could mean the group has more than $1 million less to work with next year, Williams estimates.

“The governor talks about wanting to protect the most vulnerable populations,” Williams said. “Certainly I think people with severe mental illness and addictions would fall into that category.”

Williams said as funding becomes tighter, the board will continue to analyze the most critical services, but she fears waiting lists could grow longer and the criteria for an individual to qualify for services could become stricter.

“We want people to get the care they need when they need it,” she said.

Already most of the programs funded by the board prioritize which individuals they help depending on the severity of illnesses. If funding cuts are approved, people with lesser illness might not be able to find services despite a need.

The situation is only amplified as other agencies with which the board works receive similar cuts. If children’s services experience drastic cuts, for instance, the board will feel the effects.

In addition, the economy creates a situation in which more people might not be able to pay for the amount of services they had previously because most of the services are provided on a sliding fee scale.

“We are the safety net for the mental health and drug and alcohol community,” Williams said. “Really, the safety net is eroding.”