Diane Bauknight Comments on Proposed Cuts in Community Support



One of the biggest lies that does not go away is that the reform is

about serving people in their communities. Is that so? While we

continue to freeze and cut state facility beds for people who

de-compensate due to poor community services and supports, our DMH/HHS

continues to erode the foundation of the reform: Community Support

(CS.) We don't even talk about how CS, as a stand alone service, is

inadequate as a service array anymore. It is so bad, we can't believe

they are sweeping up the crumbs of CS in front of our eyes. We have

even lost sight of the promises for a "full array of community-based

care" that the reform promised, including crisis facilities across the

state.



Go to http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dma/mp/proposedmp.htm and read as

much as you can stand to read. Learn how MORE hours are being cut

across the board for both children and adults. Imagine how any

private providers might be able to spend only 2 hour PER MONTH

planning step-down for someone (who has been institutionalized) to a

community where services are few, if any---other than giving the

person a ride to the nearest homeless shelter.



Has North Carolina's discharge plan for people coming out of

psychiatric hospitalization "discharge to the streets," where they can

join the rest of the growing population of people who have mental

illness and are homeless due to lack of housing, psychiatric care,

substance abuse treatment, residential care, medication coverage and

basic therapy? Apparently it is, and what community support

services we have continue to be sliced and diced, until they are now

barely recognizable from the services first described in our "State

Plan." We were promised a "rich array of community based services"

that would eradicate the need for institutionalization. Oh, and don't

forget the promise that NO state facility beds would close until such

services were firmly in place.



The only thing consistent in the state reform plan is the shameless

lies that are continuously fed to the public. Only those of us living

this nightmare and our providers know the truth about the reform. The

public officials in charge of this sham are experts at cloaking the

lies in political correct terms, such as "recovery, community-based,

naturally occurring, person-centered" and other empty words that have

no substance behind them, other than to make the cuts in care

palatable to the legislature and the public.



The DMH says they want your comments on recent cuts in CS. You know

they really don't, but go ahead let them know you are sick of the

lies. Tell the emperor he has no clothes. If we are going down, lets

at least go down fighting.



http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dma/mp/proposedmp.htm



Diane Bauknight