ABH Statement on House Budget

Association for Behavioral Healthcare Praises House Leadership


For Restoring Funds for Community Mental Health Services



Budget Requires DMH to Submit Bed-Closure Plan



BOSTON – April 26, 2011 -- The Association for Behavioral Healthcare, which represents nearly 100 community-based behavioral health providers, issued a statement following the House of Representatives decision to restore funding for community services under the Department of Mental Health (DMH):

ABH is pleased that the House has restored $5.5 million in funding for DMH that will support community behavioral health services and provide individuals with the services necessary to manage their illness and support recovery.

Included in this amount is $558,637 for clubhouse services, which means that the House of Representatives has fully restored the $3 million cut to clubs initially proposed by Governor Patrick.

The House language prohibits DMH from expending these funds until the Department has submitted a detailed bed closure plan to the legislature. Specifically, the money cannot be expended “until the department of mental health submits a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on mental health and substance abuse services detailing the number of individuals to be discharged, the facilities from which they will be discharged and the specific community based services that will be developed to assist them in the community.”

ABH has worked very hard in partnership with other stakeholders over the past few months to stress to lawmakers that Governor Patrick’s plan to eliminate 160 DMH in-patient beds while simultaneously cutting funding for community-based services was extremely ill-conceived.

We are grateful to Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Committee Co-Chair Liz Malia, and Ways and Means members Representatives Ruth Balser and David Sullivan for their steadfast commitment to community-based services.
The amendment adopted through their leadership affirms ABH’s position that new funding for community services must be part of any plan to reduce in-patient capacity if DMH clients are to have the opportunity to successfully live in the community.