HELENA, Mont. (AP) -- The Center for Mental Health has laid off 14 employees, mostly in Helena and Great Falls, and cut the hours of another 14 because of revenue shortfalls and funding cuts.
The center serves around 5,000 clients at 22 facilities in central Montana and employs about 330 people. The layoffs include six staff members in Cascade County and five in Helena, while hours were cut for five staff members in Cascade County, four in Helena along with five others.
"We have to re-evaluate where things are in anticipation of a lot of changes on the horizon as far as funding streams and revenue," said Sydney Blair, the center's interim chief executive officer. "We're facing changes in rates, changes in terms of what's reimbursable. Then there's managed care coming up, and we don't know how that will affect us."
"Our goal is to maintain the same level of services for our clients. We will need to be more creative."
Blair said they're also reassessing offices in smaller communities, where the services don't cover the cost of staff and facilities. She said they may consolidate smaller offices and have staffers travel.
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The layoffs come less than a year after a state evaluation found the Helena office lacked leadership, training and planning. The Mental Disabilities Board of Visitors also found extensive medication errors.
Blair said some of the changes are temporary and will be re-evaluated in about four months.
The layoffs concern Matt Kuntz, the executive director in Montana of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
"You can't treat just as many people with less staff," he said.
He suggested that Helena-area clients who don't believe they are receiving the services they need should contact AWARE, a private, nonprofit mental health center that offers counseling and can help ensure people stay current with their medications
Changes in Medicaid reimbursements and cutbacks in a state program that allowed the center to serve uninsured clients are part of the reason for the cutbacks, Blair said. The center writes off about $2 million in unpaid services each year, she said, and the center plans on implementing a sliding fee scale so those who can't afford to pay the full cost of service can at least make some payment.
Blair said recent discussions with other mental health service providers in Montana found they're in similar financial situations.
"In the last couple of weeks we have met with other directors in the state, and all the centers are facing the same issues," Blair said. "The revenues are not where we are used to them being. Nine months ago, we were in a completely different situation."
