By Les Gehrett
ALBANY -- Because of state budget cutbacks, it has been a tough year for mental health patients, their families, and the county departments that try to serve them.
Funding for services essential to the mentally ill have been reduced. Some of this funding has been restored, but more budget cuts are looming, depending on a potential statewide vote this winter to overturn the new income tax surcharge.
Linn County Mental Health officials want to help consumers, family members and other advocates understand the current situation. They have scheduled a meeting at 6 p.m. Monday in the second-floor conference room in Albany's Two Rivers Market.
The meeting will focus on programs for the severely and chronically mentally ill. Staff will be on hand to answer questions about other mental health programs.
"The severely mentally ill have really had problems in terms of losing services, losing access to medication," said Ken Brown, the supervisor of community support services for Linn County Mental Health.
Brown said the cuts have forced his program to:
In addition, the overall mental health program has lost half of its budget for medication and crisis housing.
"It makes quite a difference in our being able to help get a homeless person off the street or help someone who can't afford their medications," Brown said.
So far, he said the county has not had to cut anyone off its client rolls, as has happened in other counties. The program has 375 open cases.
"We don't turn anyone away from the chronically, severely mentally ill clinic because they cannot pay," Brown said, adding that he hopes this policy can survive.
The county wants to know which of its services are most valued and should be emphasized: vocational programs, housing, consumer group support, or emergency services.
"We can plan for all kind of contingencies, but we want to hear from people," Brown said. "We have some freedom to emphasize one thing at the expense of another. That's what we want to talk about."
Mike Rinkin, the founder of the mental health advocacy organization Compassion Ministries, said he welcomes the opportunity to learn more about the current funding circumstances and discuss the future.
He and his wife, Judy, have been involved as mental health advocates since their son, Eric, was diagnosed with a mental illness 20 years ago at the age of 12.
"These folks are doing the best they can. I realize that," Rinkin said of the county's mental health staff. "The dollars are not there for them to do the jobs they need to do."
Rinkin said in his view one pressing need is to provide more assistance to the skills trainers who conduct home visits. These visits are valuable because they provide a different view of the situation than is available in an office setting.
But the county has only two or three skills trainers who face tremendous caseloads.
"I have no idea how many people they are servicing. They are overworked," Rinkin said.
He would like to see the county's caseworkers, who work at the the mental health offices, take part in the home visits.
"In the field, they will see how they really are and how they are functioning," Rinkin said.
His biggest wish is that the public would pay more attention to mental health issues. Because of their conditions, most of the mentally ill cannot advocate for themselves and rely strongly on family members to work for their cause.
"A lot of family members have flat given up because they are discouraged," Rinkin said. "Families struggle with this."