Will "telehealth" be good for McHenry County mental health clients? I guess it'll be better than no health at all. No (mental) health (services) at all, that is.
Family Service Community Mental Health Center seems to be in dire straits, financially. The State's slow-pay plan is contributing to the financial ills, but it's probably only part of the problem.
A merger with North Central Behavioral Health Systems (www.ncbhs.org) is being considered and might even be finalized within two weeks. What is North Central? Located in La Salle, Illinois, it operates throughout a seven-county area. They have out-patient centers in La Salle, Ottawa, Streator, Princeton, Canton and Macomb, Ill. I thought it might be easy to find a list of the seven counties on its website, but it wasn't easy or quick. In fact, I gave up.
Family Service currently provides mental health services to more than 6,000 clients annually. Tentative plans look like a joint operation beginning May 1 and then "telehealth" starting in McHenry County by October 1.
I've been on a consumer advocacy committee at Family Service for two years, and I predict a huge interruption in services. The case load at Family Service will overwhelm North Central, which will attempt to control services and costs as the rescue plan proceeds.
Telehealth? Picture sitting in front of your computer, conferring with your psychiatrist or social worker via Skype. Got an addiction problem? Will the doctor or therapist see your glass of booze sitting next to your computer? "Oh, that? That's just ginger ale, Doc." And interacting in a group session? Imagine the baby crying, dog barking, phone ringing, pit stops, gotta put the laundry in the dryer so the clothes don't wrinkle, etc.
Providing mental services in seven rural counties is a lot different that having one (new) building that serves 6,000 clients.
I think both agencies had better gear up early to anticipate the problems and be prepared to address them quickly and thoroughly.
You never know who is interested…
3 months ago
2 comments:
Gus,
Thank you for bringing up a very important issue that affects, it seems, everyone these days. Mental health has such a social stigma, but yet how many people do you meet who don't have a friend, coworker or family member affected by mental health in some form?
This needs to be addressed at all levels- federal, state and local. With the number of veterans coming back from a long, brutal war, we will undoubtedly see a noticeable uptick in the incidence of mental health problems because they simply aren't receiving the support needed.
Above all, it's important to remember that for the most part, people who have been treated for mental health problems who have support can do a reasonably good job of managing their treatment and symptoms. My brother did. The reality is that for the most part, the mentally ill that we have the most to be concerned with are the undignosed and untreated.
The need for, and importance of, adequate mental health services for our returning veterans is critical. Just yesterday I learned of significant cutbacks in Federal grant dollars that will affect McHenry County veterans later this year.
Adequate, meaningful and affordable services are essential for our veterans and for all segments of our population. Isn't it a case of "Pay Now or Pay Later"?
For too long, our country has lived in a credit-card mentality, just paying the minimum.
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