Service providers warn of mental health budget cuts

March 12, 2015

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HARTFORD, Conn. – Thousands of Connecticut residents, including many low-income individuals, won’t get the mental health services they need if a $25 million funding reduction remains in the proposed state budget, according to service providers.

Mental health advocates and outpatient clinic operators warn that if the state budget passes in its current form, a deep cut into the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services will have devastating effects on individuals and families struggling with mental illness.

The $25 million in question funds grants to outpatient clinics known as local mental health authorities, or LMHAs, which treat clients directly. The clinics depend on the grants, officials say, to cover the cost of services, particularly to those who are uninsured or on Medicaid.

See the complete story at CT News Junkie.

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One response to “Service providers warn of mental health budget cuts”

Suzanne

March 12, 2015

“While this is no doubt a difficult budget filled with tough choices, it’s one that will put our state on a path for success in the short- and long-term,” Devon Puglia, spokesman for Gov. Dannel Malloy, said. “… Ultimately, DMHAS will continue to provide high-quality care as we make the tough but smart choices today to put Connecticut on a strong path for tomorrow.”

How? Mental health services exist today and tomorrow. That yet another service protecting our social welfare is cut in lieu of financing any number of projects not protecting those with serious healthcare issues speaks to the values of this State.

One of the strongest recommendations from evaluating the Sandy Hook tragedy was making MORE available mental health services to CT residents. I guess that tragedy left the headlines and left the Malloy administration’s heads.

One cannot even refer to Mental Healthcare parity either since the budget for those services have been cut so drastically.

What ever the Malloy administration chooses to cut with mental health care today will certainly visit the rest of the populace. It speaks to the foolishness and lack of clear values by this administration.

Ultimately, it will be more costly as mentioned in the article: those not treated will end up in the most expensive care available, the emergency rooms, and where will all the savings for a “strong tomorrow” end up then?

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