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Governor McGreevey’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2005 Budget
Governor Refuses to Ignore the Problems we Face
Governor McGreevey understands that we are at a stage where mature,
responsible leadership is essential. His budget reflects his
belief that the state bears responsibility for children and adults
with mental illness.
Most states are choosing to shrink the health care safety net for
their poorest and most politically defenseless residents. Officials
in 34 states are opting to slash Medicaid and poor children’s health
insurance coverage as a path of least resistance to a balanced
budget; showing a remarkable indifference to those whose lives with
which they have been entrusted.
We thank Governor McGreevey for refusing to ignore the problems that
we face.
Continuum of Care for Adult Consumers
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Redirection II:
The budget includes an increase of 7.4 million (3.4
million to annualize FY ‘04 programs and 4 million for new
programs).
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Community Provider Contracts:
The budget includes a 1% increase to agencies in
the community which provide supported employment services,
counseling, medication management, partial care, residential care,
PACT, ICMS, and crisis intervention to consumers.
MHANJ fully supports the Governor’s proposal to fund
Redirection II, which reforms the state mental health system from
one in which consumers are institutionalized in state hospitals, to
one where less expensive services are present in the community.
But while Redirection II provides the policy,
administration, and managerial framework for consumers’ recovery in
the community, its operational arm, the 125 plus community agencies
which provide hands on intervention in over one million mental
health incidences/year, will see only a 1%
increase - all this after flat funding last year and a significant
rise in health and liability insurance costs, facility costs, and
licensure fees. MHANJ recommends a 4% increase be appropriated for
community provider contracts.
If we want consumers to recover and become as independent from the
system as is individually possible, they must be provided with
effective, efficient., and high quality services.
Continuum of Care for Children and Adolescents
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Child Behavioral Health Services:
The budget includes an increase of $37 million for
this wrap around system of care which integrates services and
funding, maintains children and families in the community, and is
integral to the implementation of the Child Welfare Reform Plan.
MHANJ supports this increase in funding which will
enable the program to expand community based services including
mobile response, youth case management, intensive in-community
services and behavioral assistance.
It will also provide for the development of additional treatment
homes (home-like settings) that would enable the Department of Human
Services to divert children from, as well as step children down
from, more restrictive residential settings.
· A
New Beginning: The Future of Child Welfare in NJ.:
The budget includes an increase of $125 million to support child
welfare reform. Part of the new structure includes the Office of
Children’s Services (OCS). Under the OCS there will be three
divisions: Division of Youth and Family Services, Division of
Prevention and Community Partnerships, and Division of Child
Behavioral Health Services.
MHANJ supports the creation of this new structure.
Children with SED (Serious Emotional Disturbance)
come from a variety of settings – schools, families, detention
centers, DYFS. If we want the mental health system to stop failing
children, it is critical that children in all settings have access
to diversified mental health services and that those treatments be
coordinated across all domains.
Medicaid Fee for Service and General Assistance
Mental health consumers on SSI and General Assistance do not have
disposable income and often take multiple medications. National studies have shown that the proposed co-payment for
prescription drugs will mean that most consumers in these programs
will not purchase their necessary medications. This will result in
increased emergency room visits, increased hospitalizations, and
other serious consequences that exceed savings in drug costs.
MHANJ opposes the implementation of a prescription
co-pay in Medicaid FFS and GA.
If we want mental health consumers who are poor to maintain their
recovery, and we want the state to employ sound health policy in
their regard, we must oppose prescription co-payments which
effectively reduces access to necessary medications.
According to the federal regulations which govern the Medicaid
program, Title XIX of the Federal Social Security Act, Section 1916,
(4) (e):
“The State plan shall require that no provider
participating under the State plan may deny care or services to an
individual eligible for
such care or services under the plan on account of such individual’s
inability to pay a deduction, cost sharing or similar charge.
The requirements of this subsection shall not extinguish the
liability of the individual to whom the care or services were furnished for payment of the
deduction, cost sharing or similar charge.”
MHANJ fully supports the increase to this program.
This increase reflects no policy change and only
represents medical inflation and caseload growth. Approximately
65-77% of the 23,000 – 25,000 people enrolled in GA/month, are
mental health consumers. If we want some of the poorest, sickest
and most vulnerable consumers to have access to a consistent level
of healthcare services, the GA medical program must keep pace with
expansion and price increases.
Critical Components to Wellness and Recovery in the
Community.
MHANJ supports the funding of a state rental
assistance program.
The lack of decent and affordable housing is one of the most serious
problems facing consumers. At a time when there are over 20,000
people on Section 8 waiting lists and most Housing Authorities are
not taking names the state must take the initiative and fund a
rental assistance program.
If we want to provide a basis for the recovery efforts of consumers
in the community, they must have access to housing.
Employment.:
The budget includes no increase for long term follow-along services.
MHANJ supports funding of long term follow along
supported employment services.
Employment is a critical component to recovery from mental illness.
National studies find that there is a shocking 90 percent
unemployment rate among adults with serious mental illness – the
worst level of employment of any group of people with disabilities.
Many consumers want to work and could work with modest assistance.
At a time when our Nation’s largest program for consumers is
disability payments, the state must take the initiate and fund
supported employment and other evidence based employment services.
If we want consumers to be active participants in their communities,
gain a sense of self worth, and become tax paying citizens, we must
fund the programs which help them to maintain competitive integrated
employment.
Conclusion
In spite of recent efforts by the Administration and Legislature,
our mental health system for both children and adults,
remains severely under-funded and cannot meet
people’s needs. Recent increases have been for specific populations
and have not enriched the entire public system. Children and adults
with mental illness need the opportunity to heal in the least
restrictive setting, care that is constant and comprehensive, full
access to necessary medication, the agencies which provide them
services to be efficient and effective, their direct care service
workers to be well-trained and consistent in their lives, paid
employment, a decent place to live, and
must
become part of the social contract.
Thumbs Up!
Consumer Advocates of the Month
Susan B. Ordway
When we asked for someone to testify in favor of a 4% increase to
community provider contracts at the Cost of Providing
Care Coalition’s State House Press Conference on February
25th, consumer provider Susan B. Ordway stepped up to the plate. Susan is the President and Facilitator at CSPNJs Freehold Self Help
Center and was able to speak from her unique experience as both a
consumer and provider about the need to increase funding for
community provider contracts. Thanks Susan!
Jim DeAnnuntis
Consumer provider Jim DeAnnuntis, testified before the Senate Budget
and Appropriations Committee on the need to increase funding for
agencies in the community who help consumers achieve and maintain
their recovery. Jim is a Peer Outreach Support Team (POST) worker
out of the Mental Health Association of Atlantic County, and works
specifically with homeless and soup kitchen clients in Atlantic
County. Jim stated, “I have depended upon these programs for most
of my life. They have helped me stay well and their support has
been invaluable. I know the people I am serving are starting to
‘lose out’ on what I have been given and it breaks my heart.”
Thanks Jim, for your generosity of spirit and sharing your
experience.
Irene Smith
Testifying before the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on
the need for increased funding for housing and supported employment
services was consumer provider Irene Smith. Irene works as a
Boarding Home Outreach worker and a Peer Outreach Support Team
(POST) worker out of the Mental Health Association of Atlantic
County. As Irene stated so eloquently, “…mental health consumers
CAN recover…We ARE surviving and we are becoming a help and not a
burden to our society. We work, we live and we stand tall. If
housing in NJ does not get better, we will suffer. If our
employment links are taken away….we stand to lose our futures in
recovery.”
A
Race Worth Running
Good luck to
Steve Jakubowyz
who is running as an Independent to become a Middlesex County
Freeholder!
Correction
We apologize for the misspelling of Consumer Advocate of the Month
Jim Seder’s
name in the March edition of The Cutting Edge.
Join
MHANJ’s Legislative Network! Contact C. Chin at 973.571.4100 Ex.
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