The Department of Mental Health strives to improve the quality of life for adults with serious and persistent mental illness and children and adolescents with serious mental illness or severe emotional disturbance. The Department ensures access to an integrated network of effective and efficient services that promotes consumer rights, responsibilities, rehabilitation, and recovery. Case management, treatment, and short-term, residential, and inpatient care are among the range of service options. Special emphasis is placed on providing services to consumers in community-based settings. Additionally, the Department performs evaluation and treatment for court-involved individuals, as well as research into the causes of mental illness.

Objectives

The Department will expand housing assistance and supportive services to homeless individuals with mental illness. One priority is to provide more appropriate short-term respite, transitional residence, and permanent housing services to the fifty homeless mentally ill individuals currently residing in the Parker Street Shelter at the Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center in Boston.

Through a joint-purchasing agreement with the Division of Medical Assistance, the Department has streamlined and reduced the costs of acute inpatient and emergency services. In Fiscal Year 1998, the Department will seek additional federal reimbursement for the services provided under this agreement. Additional federal reimbursement will be used to support continuing care services in community-based settings.

Budget Recommendations

The Fiscal Year 1998 budget recommendation includes two expansions: 1) an additional $3 million for services to the homeless mentally ill; and 2) a retained revenue account (5047-0002) to allow the Department to spend up to $6 million of the increased federal reimbursement associated with acute inpatient and emergency services for expansion of continuing care services in community-based settings.

These recommendations also propose three account consolidations to promote administrative efficiency: 1) the metro-Boston homelessness account (5046-3000) will be consolidated into the statewide homelessness account (5046-2000); 2) the Medfield Secure Unit account (5042-1000) will be consolidated into the state facilities account (5095-0000); and 3) the account that funds personnel "chargeback" costs (5046-9999), including workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and various health insurance costs will be consolidated into the adult community mental health services account (5046-0000).

These recommendations include $2.35 million to improve salaries for the Department's lowest paid, contracted, direct care workers. In Fiscal Year 1997, this funding was appropriated as part of a reserve account in the Executive Office for Administration and Finance.

Budgetary Direct Appropriations

DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
5011-0100	For the administration of the department of mental health	20,650,392

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
5042-5000	For child and adolescent services	57,504,242

ADULT COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
5046-0000	For adult mental health services, including community, inpatient, and support services	214,992,211

RENTAL SUBSIDIES
5046-1000	For rental subsidies to eligible clients; provided, that the department shall establish the amounts of said subsidies so that payment thereof and of other commitments from this item shall not exceed the amount appropriated herein, including any balance that may be made available from the prior fiscal year	2,607,550

STATEWIDE HOMELESSNESS SERVICES
5046-2000	For statewide homelessness services	17,146,024

EMERGENCY SERVICES AND ACUTE INPATIENT CARE PROGRAM
5047-0001	For the designated emergency programs and acute inpatient and diversionary services; provided, that the department is authorized to enter into an interdepartmental service agreement with the division of medical assistance for the purchase of said services and for such other services as said agreement may provide; and provided further, that funds may be transferred from this item to items 5042-5000 and 5046-0000, provided that the total of such transfers shall not exceed the most recent savings projection from the implementation of said agreement	32,478,030

COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTERS MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION
5051-0100	For community mental health centers	77,994,537

FORENSIC SERVICES PROGRAM FOR MENTALLY ILL PERSONS
5055-0000	For forensic mental health services	7,386,637

STATE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION
5095-0000	For inpatient and facility-based services; provided, that the department is hereby authorized to transfer funds from this item to item 5046-0000 in an amount not to exceed nine million dollars	104,260,929

Budgetary Retained Revenues

HASKELL BUILDING MAINTENANCE RETAINED REVENUE
5011-0611	The department of mental health is hereby authorized to expend an amount not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars in revenues collected from occupancy fees charged to the tenants of the Haskell building, so called, on the campus of the former Northampton state hospital, for repairs, improvements, maintenance, and operation of said building	100,000

"CHOICE" PROGRAM RESIDENTIAL HOMES MAINTENANCE RETAINED REVENUE
5046-4000	The department of mental health is hereby authorized to expend an amount not to exceed one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars in revenues collected from occupancy fees charged to the tenants in the creative housing option in community environments, the CHOICE program, so called, authorized by chapter one hundred sixty-seven of the acts of nineteen hundred and eighty-seven; provided, that all such expenditures shall be for the routine maintenance and repair of facilities in said program	125,000

EMERGENCY SERVICES AND ACUTE INPATIENT CARE PROGRAM RETAINED REVENUE
5047-0002	The department of mental health is hereby authorized to expend an amount not to exceed six million dollars for continuing care services in community settings, from increased revenues collected from federal reimbursement for designated emergency programs and acute inpatient and diversionary services	6,000,000

Federal Grant Spending

DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION WAREHOUSE
5012-9106	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Department of Mental Health Information Warehouse	75,000

PROJECT FOR ASSISTANCE IN TRANSITION FROM HOMELESSNESS
5012-9121	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Project for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness	405,933

MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEMS IMPROVEMENT DEMONSTRATION
5021-9106	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Mental Health Systems Improvement Demonstration	75,000

SHELTER PLUS CARE PROGRAM
5046-9102	For the purposes of a federally funded grant entitled, Shelter Plus Care Program	144,240

Trust and Other Spending

5047-9108

ANNIE E CASEY - ROXBURY UNITES FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

750,000

5311-9101

SOLOMON MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

450,915

5535-2689

CAPE COD AND ISLANDS MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL RETARDATION CENTER

2,927,771

5540-2689

BROCKTON MULTI-SERVICE CENTER

573,774

5541-2689

DR JOHN C CORRIGAN JR MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

2,934,377

5651-2689

MASSACHUSETTS MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

1,228,808

5652-2689

DR SOLOMON CARTER FULLER MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

1,201,745

5653-2689

LINDEMANN MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

24,816

5851-2689

QUINCY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER

1,725,418