El Dorado County mental health

unedited 3/09 Tahoe Mt. News

By Kathryn Reed

Mental health services are getting clobbered over the head because of funding issues. What added stress this will create for clients is yet to be determined.
El Dorado County supervisors in February cut 10 positions; four in South Lake.
“It is important to note that these cuts are no way a step toward the closure of the mental health clinic in South Lake Tahoe. I cannot emphasize this enough,” Supervisor Norma Santiago said. “I am wholly committed to EDC providing these services for our community. There are no plans to close this very important clinic.”
Still, taking employees off the payroll and not having to pay their benefits only covers a fraction of the $2.8 million to $3.4 million deficit the department is running.
If the state comes through with the $1.5 million it owes the county, this would do wonders to bridge the financial chasm.
According to Santiago, a slew of factors contributed to the money problem in the Mental Health Department. First, the department estimated expenses to be $12.4 million with revenue about $12.1 million. The theory was the $300,000 gap could be made up with future or other revenue.
However, the reality is that by the end of January the department had $12.1 million in bills and less than $10 million to pay them.
Santiago said the deficit’s number is not locked down because of how reimbursements and realignments are calculated and some are outstanding. She said with the passage of the state budget the county should soon have a better idea of what money will flow to Placerville.
She expects supervisors to be discussing the mental health issue into April to be able to get the department on solid footing.
Another problem has been the software billing system and how the department has been managed. Claims came in but were never filed. Too much time lapsed and the county couldn’t get reimbursed.
“I don’t know if it’s waste or just inefficiency or we don’t have the people where we need to put them,” Santiago said. “There are so many levels in that organization that I have to look at. It’s a fiscal mess.”
The county is working with partner agencies like Tahoe Youth & Family Services and the Family Resource Center to fill in where needed. The state requires the county to provide a minimum level of service as well as certain programs, so not much more can be trimmed in that regard.
The Tahoe office has about 350 clients and the West Slope twice that number.
“We may have to change the format to more group than individual services,” Santiago said. “The ones who are high-risk will get the individual services they need.”
Another cost-cutting move is having the county’s Alcohol and Drug Program share space with Mental Health at 1900 Lake Tahoe Blvd. That program offers education, prevention, treatment and counseling services.