For years, NAMI has fought long and hard to grow our community mental health system so that it meets the diverse needs of individuals living with mental illness and their families. It has been a difficult struggle, but thanks to state funding, the Community Reinvestment Act and dedicated community mental health providers, services have been developed that meet a wide range of needs.
As the state tries to cut costs by cost-shifting to Medicaid, we fear that innovative programs like clubhouses, IPRT, drop in centers, vocational programs and other “non-Medicaid” community mental health services are in jeopardy.
Already we are hearing from consumers and families that the rich array of individualized services that put people on the road to recovery have disappeared or changed in character so drastically that they are virtually unrecognizable. Moreover, the numbers being served by these important programs are diminishing at the same time that our emergency rooms, acute care and crisis beds are filled to overflowing.
What will happen to those many people desperately needing mental health services who are not Medicaid eligible? And what will happen if Medicaid is cut on the federal level and funding for community mental health is squeezed ever further? We urge you to exercise caution in dismantling a community mental health system that is a lifeline for many of our loved ones. |
