County May Cut Funding For Mental Health Program
The battle to keep county programs continues as El Paso’s Mental Health Mental Retardation looks to retain its emergency-room diversion program.
“The (county) commissioners are under a ton of pressure,” MHMR CEO Gary Larcinaire said. “The economy is tight. Tax collections are down. The commissioners have to make a choice.”
County officials have to cut $15 million from their budget to avoid a tax increase. So far, commissioners said they have cut about $7.4 million.
“We want to make sure that we go on the record and say this could be an incredible expensive decision and we think this is not where we need to save money,” Larcinaire said.
Larcinaire said the program uses local funds to match a $1.4 million state grant. He also said the program helps avoid the cost of keeping mental patients in the emergency room while they wait to be transferred to other mental-health facilities.
County Commissioner Veronica Escobar argued the money might be better spent at University Medical Center, where there are talks of starting a similar program and where commissioners say they have great accountability.
“I don’t have to put in a public information request through UMC. We have direct oversight, we approve and not approve their budget,” Escobar said. “My firm belief is that we gotta put our money where we have the most and greatest accountability, and I believe that’s with UMC.”
But Larcinaire said that decision could come at a greater cost to the community.
“The ultimate safety net is going to be University Medical Center’s emergency room and jail,” Larcinaire said. “Those two cost options are far more expensive to this community than preventive medicine”
County commissioners will decide on Monday whether to put up $375,000 for a program intended to keep mentally ill people out of emergency rooms. The vote comes as $1.5 million is running out for an MHMR clinic that opened last year to accommodate 1,500 residents who were on a waiting list for services. That clinic will close Oct. 1.
