Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Highlights Mental Health Issues in Several States
A summary of news coverage on mental health issues in several states appears below.
- Maryland: The Baltimore Sun reports that the shortage of beds for mental health care in Northwest Baltimore County "appears to be worsening" as Sheppard Pratt Health System has decided to close two outpatient clinics that serve between 1,600 and 1,800 patients. According to Bonnie Katz, vice president for business development at Sheppard Pratt, the clinics have become "prohibitively expensive to operate" and require "an army of people" to handle health insurance issues. She added that reimbursements from insurance companies do not cover the cost of the salaries of physicians, nurses and administrative staff. Area hospitals, which already have a "high occupancy rate" in their acute psychiatric care beds, have expressed concern that the decision to close the clinics will prompt many patients to "show up" for treatment (Jacobson, Baltimore Sun, 10/15).
- Michigan: The Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority, which faced a $19 million budget reduction last year, may face additional cuts in the next fiscal year, the Detroit Free Press reports. Rich Visingardi, executive director of the agency, presented a budget plan last week that includes $1 million in cuts to balance the 2001-2002 budget. In addition, he said that the agency, which receives 90% of its funding from the state, may face additional reductions. The state has projected a $500 million budget shortfall and may reduce funding for the agency. Visingardi said that the agency may have to reduce services for those who "don't have such an urgent need" for care (Gray, Detroit Free Press, 10/11).
- Utah: A group of child health advocates plan to ask the state Legislature in January to provide $2 million to improve mental health treatment for children, the Deseret News reports. Last year, about 14,000 Utah children ages 17 and younger sought treatment at "generally underfunded and overused" state mental health centers. Vicki Cottrell, executive director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Utah, said that children have "only sporadic help" from insurance companies, which often will not cover the cost of mental health care or only cover a few doctor visits per year. In addition, she said that parents who purchase treatment for their children may "face financial ruin," and many "consider giving up custody" of children to the state to receive state-funded group home or "intensive" care that they "can't otherwise afford." Utah spends $3.8 million per year on treatment of mental illness for children, a number that has not increased since 1999 (Thalman, Deseret News, 10/12).
