Mental Health Service Funding is a Safety Priority

September 12, 2003

In light of Gov. Bill Owens' reversal of his decision to keep in reserve the bulk of the federal emergency bailout funds, The Mental Health Association of Colorado (MHAC) calls on the governor to restore funding for the critical mental health services lost this past budget year.

During this year's legislative session, nearly one third of the state funding for community mental health care, which provides critical care to uninsured children and adults who have serious mental illnesses, was eliminated (SB 205 and SB 258). Also, Medicaid services were cut by over $13 million and the two state institutes' budgets were reduced by approximately $11 million. Recently, the impacts of this funding loss are becoming apparent as mental health centers across Colorado have been informing hundreds of clients that they will no longer be able to receive services or will have their services reduced.

According to the Denver Post, these "one-time safety-related expenses" released by Gov. Owens will include $4 million to the Dept. of Corrections, $1 million to the Buena Vista Prison, money to update the fire alarm systems in State Fair buildings in Pueblo, the Public Safety Dept. will replace its airplane, and 360 feet of lineal brass handrails in the Senate and House Chambers will be replaced at a cost of almost $200,000.

Utilizing only $10 million of the over $146 million federal emergency bailout funds would restore mental health services funding back to it's FY2002 levels and restore services lost to an estimated 3,000 people.

"It will prevent the increased public costs of the uninsured people with mental illness that are being shifted onto our jails, emergency rooms and to businesses in the form of increased insurance premiums," said Jeanne Rohner, MHAC Executive Director. "In fact, news reports in the last week alone are highlighting how there is an alarming increase of persons with mental illnesses flooding our county jails."

We suggest that this is an opportunity for the governor to address concerns about increasing health care costs and this investment will likewise increase the number of our citizens who can live quality lives and contribute productively to our economic recovery.

An informal MHAC review of some of the FY2002 statistics of clients at discharge captured by the Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health Services shows that mental health care received through our public, community health system: • Decreased the number of adults with mental illnesses who are homeless by 1 /3rd. • Decreased by almost 25 percent the number of children and adults who were kept in institutional settings, such as corrections, foster homes and nursing homes (a reduction of 1,092). • Increased by almost 25 percent the number of children living in a family-like environment, including living with relatives (an increase of 500). • Increased by nearly 25 percent the number of adults who had paying jobs.