February 1, 2005
The Governors Budget is basically a maintenance budget. It does stop the bleeding that has taken place from the recent past years’ cuts. The 3.7% overall increase is mostly for contractual rates increases and annualized costs of community services going on line this year. Yet, the budget cuts $1.9 Million from vital research and does not address the long overdue wait list reduction. The budget needs work on the following areas.
1) NAMI requests that $1.9 million be restored for DMH supported research (the Centers of Excellence at Mass Mental and U-Mass in Worcester are funded in Adult Community Services 5046-0000)
2) NAMI advocates for the additional $10 Million (Adult Community Services 5046-0000) to help eliminate the waiting list and meet the states’ obligation under the Olmstead decision.
We thank the legislature for the $4 Million they gave DMH last year, which led to creating 155 community placements, which will occur by the end of FY 2005. This is a "good news thank you storyâ€. Also note that the annualized costs of those 155 placements help to explain why H1 is a base funding budget.
3) We ask to add $1 Million to the rental subsidiary account, held at DHDC line 7004-9033, for DMH clients, which is really restoring the account to the level that existed in FY 2002. It was $3 Million and then was cut to $2 Million in FY 2003. If an additional $1 Million were put into that account, it would serve an additional 300 DMH clients each year.
4) Request an additional $2 Million be added to line item 5095-0015 to initiate the jail diversion program in Boston , continue the jail diversion program in Framingham and expand the Framingham model to 3 other towns in the Commonwealth.