Gov's Proposed Budget Puts Local Mental Health Services At Risk, Again

By Desiree Parker Tuesday, February 23, 2010

If all the governor’s proposed cuts become reality, the mental-health safety net in the Historic Triangle could well come unraveled, quickly.

Last week, Governor Bob McDonnell shared his proposed amendments for the upcoming budget, which included $316 million in cuts to health and human services programs. The budget process has more hurdles to clear, but should these cuts become reality it could mean trouble for the local population who need mental health services.

The Colonial Community Services Board, which offers a host of behavioral health services to children, adults and seniors in the Triangle, already suffered some devastating blows over the last year or more under former Governor Tim Kaine. In the last few years, the state’s CSBs have seen 10 percent budget cuts and a planned reduction of 60 beds for patients at Eastern State Hospital by this summer (the Colonial CSB is one of nine that work to get inpatient psychiatric help at Eastern State for people in Hampton Roads and the Tidewater area).

“This is uglier than Kaine’s [budget proposal],” says Colonial CSB Executive Director David Coe. “The reality is that this is much, much worse.”

To make up for a total of 232 state mental health beds being cut from service, McDonnell proposes adding $13.9 million back to CSB budgets to deal with the people who otherwise would have had access to this service. He then proposes to cut 10 percent of state CSB funding, a savings of $24.4 million, which will also result in a loss of federal mental health block grant funds for these agencies.

Already, the Colonial CSB had to cut the popular parenting program Family Focus and a year-old program for those in recovery in order to absorb almost $650,000 in cuts at the end of last year. Now, Coe says the newest cuts could mean another $400,000 gone. The Colonial CSB has reduced its budget from $14 million last year to $12.8 million this year so far.

The organization helps children, adults, seniors and their family members deal with issues ranging from overall mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse. They offer outpatient services, residential services and 24-hour emergency services as well as crisis stabilization and lifeskills training programs, among many others.

“In the last year, we’ve served 15 percent more people in the community, as our budgets were cut,” Coe says. “We did all we could.”

Coe is concerned because “our government has cut state facility services on top of community-based services, which are supposed to absorb [cuts from facilities].

“Our plan should be to provide adequate services, and now we just can’t.”

Private facilities and hospitals are already bearing a huge burden, according to Coe. If McDonnell’s budget recommendations go through, “There will be people falling through the cracks in the safety net,” says Coe. “Folks will be left in the community with inadequate care, and this will be a recipe for people getting hurt.”

The state Senate and House have just come out with their budgets, which use a majority of McDonnell’s suggestions. The next step in the process is for the two bills to be combined into one, which likely will be complete by March 13. Health and human services programs like the Colonial CSB have until then to make their pleas for aid.