Washtenaw County: Notes on the WCCMH Board Meeting for 4/19/19

Washtenaw Community Mental Health Board meetings are usually held on the third Friday of the month from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. The timing alone may explain why there are so few members of the public who attend the meetings or take the opportunity to speak to the Board during the time set aside for public participation. Most of the attendees are Board members, WCCMH staff, or people who have been invited to talk to the Board on specific topics. 

At the WCCMH Board meeting on April 19, 2019, there were at least half a dozen members of the public who made comments during public participation, many of whom had participated in state House budget hearings on 4/11/19 in Lansing. Those hearings can be viewed on Michigan House TV. 

The April 11th Agenda for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services included an Overview of the FY 2019 - 20 Executive Recommendation for Behavioral Health and State Hospitals by the DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services) and Public Testimony on the DHHS Budget Recommendation. Public comments begin at around 1 hour and 10 minutes into the video. There were a number of commenters from Washtenaw County, most speaking about the benefits of services for people with severe mental illness and a few representing people with developmental disabilities. A provider of services who is also a parent, said that Monroe CMH is far behind in reimbursing providers like himself for services and that this has a domino effect on families, clients, and employees. Some spoke against the privatization of mental health services and others bravely spoke of their experiences with severe mental illness and surviving seemingly hopeless situations, including childhood sexual abuse.

The agenda and other materials for the 4/19/19 Board meeting are available on the Washtenaw County website. The public part of the meeting was cut short for a closed session to discuss pending litigation that challenges the State’s underfunding of Community Mental Health agencies. As I understand it, these agencies are put in the position of having to either cut services that they are mandated to provide or to violate mandates against budget deficits that they are unable to cover with funding reserves because they have been depleted by underfunding. In current state budgets, there has been a slight increase in general appropriations that can include spending on services to people who are not eligilble for Medicaid.

A notable development is that Jane Terwilliger has resigned as the Executive Director of the 4-county Community Mental Health Partnership of Southeast Michigan (CMHPSM). This followed the results of a survey that was highly critical of her performance. The COO (Chief Operating Officer) is now heading the organization and there will be a search for a new Executive Director.

Another part of the meeting focused on Board Committee structure and planning for services funded by the 2017 Washtenaw County millage to improve mental health services and safety. As I have said before, my interest is usually in subjects connected with services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If you are interested in how the WCCMH is funded and spends available resources, the Agenda package includes detailed financial information on this subject.