Agenda - 12-15-2009 - 3b - Laserfiche WebLink

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43 MENTAL HEALTH TASK FORCE REPORT • How will these cuts affect children and adolescents who are receiving services and their families? Will there be services that are no longer available? What services will be available? The cuts in funds and changes in legislation will impact child/adolescent mental health and substance abuse services in primarily three areas. These include the reduction in the use of certain types of group care, elimination of community support which provides the bulk of case management and skill building services, and a reduction in service funds for youth who are uninsured. Reduction in Use of Level III and IV GrOUDS Homes: The use of Level III group homes (typically small homes of 4-6 youth in a neighborhood) and Level IV group home (locked facilities) will be reduced as it will become harder to enter these facilities and the lengths of stay will be shorter (maximum of 120 days). OPC Area Program has been working for years to reduce its use of level III and IV group homes as we have felt it was not best practice to congregate youth with behavioral challenges together. There are certainly young people who use this level and have benefited, but many youth can be served in therapeutic foster care. North Carolina has requested a strengthened definition of therapeutic foster care from the federal Medicaid authorities. Group homes that have over 16 beds will either need to close or reduce their beds to below 16. Therapeutic wilderness camps like Three Springs and Timberidge will be closed. Three Springs, which is located outside of Pittsboro, will close its level III facility, but is planning to open a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF), day treatment, and offer intensive in-home services. In July, OPC had 46 children in Level III or IV group homes. Presently there are 21 youth in level III and IV group homes. Transition plans for all youth in levels III and IV are being reviewed through county based care review teams. Challenges: • Sufficient capacity of therapeutic foster parents especially within our three counties. • Small number of youth for who therapeutic foster care is not a good option and who do not qualify for PRTF. Elimination of CommunitYSupport: This service which encompasses case management services and skill building services will be phased out in the next few months. No new youth will be able to have this service after 10/12/09. Presently there is not a substitute service for this the case management function. In the beginning of September there were approximately 400 youth receiving community support in Orange, Person, or Chatham counties. Reduction in Service Funds for Uninsured Youth: OPC will receive fewer funds to serve the uninsured. This will translate into less available services for young people who do not have insurance. This means that there will be tighter criteria for receiving state funded services. What services will be available for children, adolescents, and families in Oranoe, Person, and Chatham Counties? .Outpatient therapy, medication management, intensive in-home, Multisystemic Therapy, Day Treatment, Therapeutic Foster Care, Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities, and Hospitals. Residential services are only available to clients with Medicaid. • How will these cuts affect providers of services in our community? Providers will be significantly impacted by the budget reductions and service changes in many ways. Not only will the amount of overall funds available to provide services be decreased, but in some 41