Mental Health Safety Net ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, individuals with mental illness who do not receive appropriate treatment and support can become entangled in the criminal justice system, and even be involved in violent incidents, resulting in the need for police intervention, and
WHEREAS, an analysis done by WBEZ radio revealed that some of the police districts which receive the most mental health 911 calls are also the districts with the fewest mental health services, and
WHEREAS, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) operates six community mental health clinics, the majority of which are located in underserved areas that have a high rate of mental health 911 calls, and
WHEREAS, CDPH has indicated that these clinics have the capacity to serve more clients, but are underutilized due in large measure to management issues including inadequate staffing, inability to bill for Medicaid reimbursement, and insufficient community outreach, and
WHEREAS, due to inadequate numbers of psychiatrists, in the past two years the number of psychiatrist hours of care in CDPH mental health clinics has dropped by more than half, compromising care and halting the intake of new clients in some clinics, and
WHEREAS, when the Illinois Department of Human Services signaled plans to shift Medicaid recipients to managed care plans, CDPH failed to take action to join any managed care network, resulting in a disruption of care for some Medicaid recipients who have been turned away from the clinics and a long term loss of sorely-needed revenue, and
WHEREAS, CDPH has recently executed a two year contract to improve the department's billing services and review options for contracts with managed care entities, the two year timeline poses significant concerns due to the urgent need for adequate billing processes and reimbursement for services currently being provided at mental health centers, and
WHEREAS, addressing these ongoing management problems could increase the number of clients se...
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