AUGUSTA, Maine — The stories of Mainers with mental illnesses and disabilities came one after another Wednesday during a legislative hearing on the LePage administration’s plan to restructure the Department of Health and Human Services.
In testimony that continued into the evening, some praised the department’s focus on efficiency while many others worried the reorganization could leave Maine’s needy in the lurch.
Several DHHS employees slated to lose their state jobs spoke out against the reorganization plan, which the administration says will streamline the sprawling department into an organization that better serves Maine people.
The restructuring bill, LD 1887, calls for eliminating 33 “intensive case managers” who work with some of the state’s most mentally ill and potentially dangerous residents. It would shift their services to the private sector and transfer $925,000 of the program’s money to the Corrections Department to serve inmates with mental illness.
Another $1.5 million that funds intensive case managers would be reallocated to expand a statewide program that tackles homelessness among the mentally ill.
The move is not expected to save money.
Bobbi Bard, an intensive case manager at DHHS, told members of the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee that she and her colleagues work with residents deemed too costly, time-consuming and dangerous by other social service workers.
One of her clients nearly killed a pastor at a psychiatric center and is now in jail, where he is shackled and escorted by three to four guards whenever he leaves his cell, Bard said.
“If the ICM program is dissolved, there will be no safety net for all these clients and for the people of Maine … This proposal does not save the state money, but could potentially cost the state millions,” she said.
Department officials stressed that intensive case management services would not disappear, but rather be privatized.
The reorganization bill consolidates four DHHS offices into two and reorganizes another. It seeks to merge the Offices of Substance Abuse and Adult Mental Health Services and combine the Offices of Elder Services and Cognitive and Physical Disabilities Services.
The Office of Child and Family Services would reorganize and link together its four major service areas, including child welfare and behavioral health.
The proposal cuts 91 positions across various levels and creates 55 jobs for a net loss of 36 positions. Several of the jobs under the ax are vacant.
The bill is expected to save $750,000, though DHHS officials have said its aim is not to cut costs.
Reorganizing the department would eliminate duplicative work, integrate care across residents’ lifetimes and make DHHS’ web of services easier to navigate, said Bonnie Smith, deputy commissioner of programs.
“With such limited resources, we cannot afford to spend one dollar more on bureaucracy or ask our providers or consumers to repeat information, call another number or experience a delay that can be prevented through the development of a more efficient system,” she said.
Eric Haram, board chairman of the Maine Association of Substance Abuse Programs, said the reorganization could lead to better health for DHHS clients.
“The department’s proposal should create obvious efficiencies to drive improvements, build consistent, integrated services and ensure higher outcomes through clear lines of communication, coordinating functions and the development of a continuum of integrated services,” he said.
The bill will require approval by the Legislature. Several speakers at Wednesday’s public hearing questioned whether the DHHS restructuring can be undertaken so late in the legislative session, which is scheduled to wrap up in mid-April.
Paulina Klimek-Cornett of Portland, speaking on behalf of an advocacy network for people with developmental disabilities, said the group has had little time to learn about the reorganization plan.
“We feel that mostly we have unanswered questions, with the biggest one being how is the proposal of restructuring departments going to affect our services?” she said.
The bill also would eliminate a division within DHHS that advocates for the intellectually disabled and autistic. The work of the Office of Advocacy would shift to the Disability Rights Center, an independent Augusta-based organization.
If approved by the Legislature, the restructuring would mark the first substantial overhaul of DHHS since it formed in 2004 through a merger of the Department of Human Services and the Department of Behavioral and Developmental Services.
The Health and Human Services Committee will hold a work session Thursday afternoon on the DHHS reorganization bill.
Hmm now let me see. Since Mr. LePage was elected how many times have we heard him talk about how much he wants to help the mentally ill? For that matter, how many times have we heard him talk about helping ANYONE other than the two family members he’s put on the taxpayer’s payroll? Now how many times have we heard him say hateful things about various people forced for one reason or another to use DHHS services? Wow, a lot right? Thus the answer to the question asked in the headline is probably a forgone conclusion. Looks like hard times ahead for anyone not named LePage.
After spending thousands on college in order to have a decent career working with the populations LeDoofus is cutting funding to I opted to move out of Maine. He’s doing his best to destroy the only job markets that have been historically strong in Maine. I took my tax dollars to a state with a better job market and without a diabolical governor.
Well don’t lose your connections here. Things will start getting better on November 6th. Then in 2014 the problem you speak of will be moving permanently into his Florida retirement years. I hope you didn’t move to Florida! Please consider coming back once this “sickness” has passed.
I moved south of Maine and will leave it at that. I’ve lived in many places outside of Maine and the job market and benefits are way better everywhere else that I’ve ever been.
Which state? I’m outta here!!!
Any state (aside from those with Tea-turd governers) are better than Maine right now. :)
Foolishness. LePage is ending the fraud and corruption in Augusta. That will help all Maine residents.
$235 million dollars was stolen from DHHS under the Democrats watch. How many mentally ill would that have assisted? How many cold, hungry, ill Maine residents would that have assisted?
“the” mentally ill?
Do you really mean that?
Sounds like the moving companies will be making a killing moving DHHS employees around again. Thats all this will accomplish.
This article mentions moving certain “services to the private sector” and using the savings for other services. It does not mention which private company is going to take over those services nor does it indicate how the company would manage to accomplish the same tasks with less money. If they have a company in mind they should mention it, so people can look at past performance. If they don’t have any particular company in mind, I wonder about the accuracy of the cost projection. How have they determined savings?
The jails both adults and children will be so over populated and not getting any of the help that they need with budget cuts etc. It only costs 52,000 a year to house kids in the detention centers. The Govenor thinks by taking away jobs and restructuring is the answer…………..
the we todd did
Ms. Bard explained it quite well. The state’s ICMs are there for the patients that the private sector can’t handle.
The real or root problem is never addressed, that is the cost of money. Bankers charge usury and the taxpayers pay through the nose. Consider all the money given in interest to banks for Maine bond ussue, it is tremendous and why is this allowed?
Maine needs its own bank like North Dakota the most financially stable state in the Union of States of America. The bankers are the real thieves not “the mentally ill” or poor people.
A restructure of thinking is needed. Look for the real problem, don’t be fooled.
All you whiners out there that want to “help” the mentally ill the do so with YOUR money and stop stealing mine. When does it end? Oldwench makes the point she got a education to take advantage of the dhhs welfare system but now has to go elsewhere. The #1 employer in Maine is the STATE!! The only money the STATE makes it TAKES from those of us who PAY taxes. Take care of your family and yourself this is the Maine way. People existed up here for a very long time with far far less then the “poor” these days have with far more and bigger problems but instead of whining they did what they had to and took care of there families.