The Upper Shore mental health center lost its last chance of being saved by the O’Malley administration – and now any hope of survival rests with the General Assembly.
The Board of Public Works on Wednesday spurned a state employees union plan to keep Upper Shore open by cutting up to $2 million from its budget. The rejection came on a day the Board approved more than $360 million in spending cuts — and eliminated another 112 state jobs — aimed at meeting the state’s budget shortfall.
Comptroller Peter Franchot, who introduced a motion to accept the union plan, told the center’s supporters after the Board’s meeting: “You all won the debate, just not the vote.”
Instead, Gov. Martin O’Malley and Treasurer Nancy Kopp stuck with their August vote to close the mental health center by the end of March.
The Board did okay transferring 16 beds from the center’s ward that treats dual diagnosed patients (those with mental illness plus addiction and alcohol problems) to the adjacent Whitsitt Center, which is a drug and rehabilitation facility.
The problem with that solution, as Upper Shore backers quickly pointed out, is that Whitsitt is a Kent County facility – and the county, too, is having economic troubles of its own.
As Commissioner Ron Fithian observed, “That doesn’t tell us how many jobs will be lost, or saved. It puts more burden on the county. Will there be more money from the state? There’s a whole series of questions.”
The commissioners planned to invite state assembly delegates, county health officials and Upper Shore directors to come to its next meeting, a week from Tuesday, to discuss what to do.
One possibility mentioned is introducing legislation at the next session of the General Assembly to keep Upper Shore going.
Pulling the plug on Upper Shore was only part of budgetary pain passed around by the Board of Public Works. Other cuts included lopping $55 million from state Medicaid payments to hospitals, $38 million from the Department of Transportation, $25 million from the University System of Maryland.
Another cut that will hurt in Chestertown is $9 million from the Sellinger program that offers state money to private, higher education (including Washington College). That leaves $36 million in Sellinger funds for this fiscal year, which ends June 30.
steve payne says
Maybe thy could get some help from DOD or backing at least. I heard on the radio that getting mental help for returning soldiers in rural areas is a problem for VA and the soldiers.
John Sutton says
The decision to uphold the closure of Upper Shore is a mistake! The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene only came up the with alternative services plan when the employees of Upper Shore and elected officials (county and delegation) fought back against the closure. Had that not happened there would have been no enhancements to community resources. It is appalling that this decision to close Upper Shore pitted the community providers against the hospital. The real issue is the care of a vulnerable population in our state. Facilities and outpatient providers are both needed and should have worked together for the good of the population they serve. In these devastating economic times shouldn’t the needs and welfare of people take presidence over buying land and embellishing stadiums which are still relatively new? Shouldn’t the general assembly have had a say in the closure of a state facility? Don’t we as taxpayers have a right to say if we want our tax dollars paid to Delaware to care for our mentally ill population while terminating state employees and adding to the unemployment rate in a county where finding another job will be almost impossible? Kudos to Comptroller Franchot for admitting he was wrong and for trying to right that wrong!