Community Support Services for people w/ Severe Persistent Mental Health to be eliminated?

My response to a Raleigh News & Observer article:

http://www.newsobserver.com/1565/story/1546434.html

Scrutinized NC health program would be eliminated
By GARY D. ROBERTSON - Associated Press Writer
Published: Thu, May. 28, 2009 06:23PM
RALEIGH, N.C. -- House budget writers rolled out deep health care cuts for the next two years Thursday, including one that would phase out a heavily scrutinized program that pays for non-medical care for mental health patients living at home.

The draft proposal by the House health and human services budget subcommittee would essentially eliminate the "community support" services program paid for through Medicaid. Lawmakers would direct state regulators to rebuild the program...."

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"People appear not to understand the usefulness of Community Support Services (CSS). This is how CSS augments therapy. The psychologist or therapist is not able to take care of all the needs of the client. There may be needs associated w/ being able to get to medical appointments (not all cities have public transportation). Clients may not be able to get to work. Clients may have no capacity to get to the store. Clients may not be able to take part of a lot of matters such as NAMI meetings or NC Traumatic Brain Injury Association meetings or AA or NA. This is what CSS makes possible as pertaining to the improvement of lives. Self sufficiency is its agenda.

Take this away, and what you have is a lot of useless therapy addressing issues that need to be attended to and CANNOT be attended to.

Marsha V. Hammond, PhD: Licensed Psychologist, Asheville/ Waynesville, NCNC mental health reform blogspot: http://madame-defarge.blogspot/