By Friends of the MHCs
Dear Citizens of the City of Chicago:
Pending City Council approval, Mayor Emanuel is about to consolidate twelve Mental Health Centers into six, and it also appears that that’s only Phase One of a plan to privatize a little later. This is a shortsighted decision which will deprive the citizens of the City of Chicago of the health, safety, and educational benefits that could be derived from a reorganized and well-managed City of Chicago mental health system.
It has already been pointed out by mental health advocates within and outside our system that mental health services can effectively reduce medical and legal costs, help public school students achieve their maximum potential, and improve the overall quality of life of the communities of the City of Chicago. There is plenty of research data that supports these assertions, and a major urban public health department ignoring it isn’t intelligently understanding “Preventive Care” and aspiring to “healthiest city in America.”
The previous administration tried to downsize our mental health system because it lacked the competence to effectively reorganize and preserve the system. In fact, the former administration could not even handle something as basic as billing for services rendered. The software was flawed, (and the procurement process itself was eventually called into question). Despite a clear and timely warning by the State of Illinois that the CDPH billing system was not working, the administration could not create an alternative method of billing for services while the bugs in the flawed Cerner computerized chart system were being removed. It is extremely demoralizing to have millions of dollars lost as a consequence of managerial incompetence.
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Posted on November 9, 2011