Share
Mecklenburg County's Area Mental Health Department has made about $1.5 million in service cuts because of reduced money from the state.
Among the cutbacks: A new 16-bed crisis center to help stabilize people with mental health conditions won't open until July. The department also will reduce, though not eliminate, a program to help pregnant women with substance abuse problems and their babies.
The department originally had faced about $6.46 million worth of state cuts for the budget year that started in July.
But county administrators have pledged $3.7 million to help offset the losses, and Gov. Bev Perdue also restored some of the money. In addition, the department had identified some cuts months ago, anticipating reduced money from the state.
The department had prepped for $2.7 million in cuts before the governor restored some money.
Still, Director Grayce Crockett said the $1.5 million worth of remaining cuts will leave a mark. She and others noted they come on top of $4 million in cuts because of county budget cuts.
Across the state, mental health providers, clients, law enforcement officials and others have worried for months about service cuts. Last week, some county commissioners said this is just another example of the state shifting its funding responsibilities to local governments.
The new round of cuts also comes as some residents have called on county leaders to spend more on addressing mental health or substance abuse conditions, instead of building a new jail in north Charlotte.
Area Mental Health officials began working to respond to the new state cuts after the General Assembly passed the state budget in August.
Crockett said leaders met with providers, residents and others to help rank the services provided by the department before finalizing the plan.
Crockett said the crisis center, which would operate at Charlottetown Manor, had originally been set to open next April. She said waiting until July would help reduce some of the startup costs needed for the center. She also said the facility might not have been ready to open by its original date.
The center would provide, among other things, medication or programs to help people with mental illness.
