NORWICH – After her first year on the job, Chenango County Community Mental Hygiene Services Director Ruth Roberts says she’s not the most popular person at work right now.
The federal government’s 1.1 percent cut from all Medicaid-based programs, New York’s budget crisis and more individuals requiring mental health care have taken a toll on the department. Roberts says she has nowhere else to turn, but to address employee productivity.
“There are federal changes that are difficult. The demands on clinicians is like nothing they’ve seen before. I tell them (the staff) it’s not going to go away,” she said.
Moreover, a New York State Office of Mental Health audit begun almost simultaneously upon Roberts’ arrival last year has indicated that more than $82,000 in errors going back to the years 2003-2005 were discovered. Most were the result of missing signatures and dates of services not lining up with billing dates.
While Roberts said the findings aren’t official yet, she’s already implemented a corporate compliance effort to get employees to self-disclose errors up front and has become relentless about stressing correct documentation.
“It doesn’t make me very popular,” said the new director, who oversees a 48-member clinical staff. Roberts took over from former director MaryAnn Spryn, who retired after 21 years.
Both the county treasurer’s office and members of the Finance Committee say it could have been a lot worse.
“In the broad scope, we were fortunate to be treated as well as we were. Other counties were fined 10 times that amount. People make mistakes. All we can do is learn from it and not have it happen again,” said Finance Committee Chairman Lawrence Wilcox, R-Oxford. Chenango County put aside some federal revenue sharing funds in anticipation of the audit’s findings.
The Community Mental Hygiene Services department is the only comprehensive outpatient mental health clinic in Chenango County. The program is the primary resource for individuals who are currently experiencing a serious mental or emotional challenge, and is the primary resource in identifying individuals who are at risk of developing major mental health problems.
During 2010, the Harry Stack Sullivan Mental Health Clinic served 2,089 individuals and documented a total of 24,864 visits in the outpatient clinic settings. State OMH data indicates Chenango County provided 25 percent more overall mental health services for children and adolescents compared to the state’s average.
Roberts is scheduled to present the department’s full annual report to the full board of supervisors Monday, June 13.
Expenditures are budgeted at $4.5 million for 2011, of which $84,000 is paid for by county taxpayers. At the half year mark, the department’s alcohol and drug abuse services budget is currently running about $130,000 behind in recoverable revenues. Roberts predicted it will find it difficult to keep next year’s budget at a zero increase.
“We will do everything we can to catch up,” she said, adding that two open staff positions will most likely not be filled.
Alcohol and drug abuse services are not necessarily mandated by the government, but counties are liable for assuring their availability. Lawmakers have spent considerable time and effort over the years to contract out for them, but to no avail.
In 2010, ADAS evaluated 476 individuals and admitted 370 for chemical dependency treatment.
