Earlier News of 2008

News of 2007

Recent Events

Outcomes

How to help

MHS mourns the sudden death of U.S. Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who for ten years represented Ohio's 11th Congressional district that comprises portions of the City of Cleveland, and 22 of its suburbs. She died of a brain aneurysm at 6:12 p.m. on Wednesday, 20 August 2008 at Huron Hospital, where she had been taken by ambulance earlier in the day. A lifelong resident of Cleveland, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones earned her Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in 1974, served as a Cuyahoga County prosecutor, and later served as a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge.

In 1998, she became the first African-American woman from Ohio to be elected to the U.S. Congress, serving the district that had been represented by Louis Stokes, the first African-American man from Ohio to be elected to the U.S. Congress. She led the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, and was the first African-American woman to serve on the House's influential Committee on Ways and Means. She was one of only 11 Democrats to oppose a 2003 House resolution authorizing the use of U.S. force in Iraq.

She was known for her tireless empathy and advocacy for her constituents, and she was a fierce proponent of legislation to provide healthcare for vulnerable citizens. In 1998, she sponsored the Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act that became law. She also sponsored legislation providing healthcare for low and middle-income families, and a bill establishing a national system for tracking chronic diseases. When a technicality threatened renewal funding for the successful MHS Outreach & Representative Payee program in 2000, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones intervened with staff members of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development to ensure the program's continuation.

The Trustees and staff members of MHS honor her legacy of service to her constituents, and offer our condolence to her family, friends, and colleagues.

References

Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones dies of aneurysm. (2008, August 21). Reuters. Retrieve the article from Reuters.

Koff, Stephen, & Eaton, Sabrina. (2008, August 20). Stephanie Tubbs Jones, passionate politcian, dies at 58. Cleveland, OH: The Plain Dealer. Retrieve the article from Cleveland.com. (Articles are available without charge for a limited time.)

"Cuyahoga County's mental health system is again grappling with financial turmoil at a large service provider, while a number of agencies are turning away uninsured patients or making them wait months for services."

This is the lead sentence of an article by Harlan Spector in The Plain Dealer, describing plans of Bridgeway, Inc. to lay off 27 workers, and transfer outpatient care for more than 500 clients to Connections (formerly North East Ohio Health Services).

The article notes that other agencies, "including Murtis H. Taylor and Recovery Resources, had either closed intake services or had long waiting lists for patients without Medicaid..."

The reduction in services is certainly related, at least in part, to a reduction of about $2.5 million in funds from the Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board (CCCMHB) to its contract agencies for services to those without Medicaid or other healthcare insurance. This disturbing development was highlighted by Harvey Snider of NAMI Ohio in a discussion broadcast 4 August 2008 on WCPN-90.3FM, and described here.

As shown in the table at left, from page 7 of the Fy2009 Non-Medicaid Budget Book approved by the CCCMHB on 26 March 2008, funding to Bridgeway for services to uninsured people was reduced 5.5% for the year beginning 1 April 2008.

Further funding cutbacks are expected in 2008. William M. Denihan, Chief Executive Officer of the CCCMHB, writes in the publication "CEO Headliners" of 23 July 2008 that "With the unstable economy, decreased housing values, foreclosures, and increased costs, the Board of County Commissioners has indicated that county departments and boards should brace for a possible funding reduction in calendar year 2009. The amount of a reduction is not known at this time. The County budget cycle will begin in September or October."

These funding cutbacks affect those for whom healthcare insurance is unavailable or unaffordable - a particularly vulnerable group that includes those with severe mental illnesses who are being discharged from psychiatric hospitals or released from jails and prisons. Because of the disorganized thought and conduct that characterized the episode of illness preceding their hospitalization or incarceration, these people often miss the reinstatement meeting that is required for maintenance of their Medicaid benefits. They then return to the community without the Medicaid benefits needed to pay for outpatient services, and for any medicines they may be prescribed for mental and physical illnesses.

Cuyahoga County urgently needs a plan to quickly address these funding reductions, and to provide the funding to serve these vulnerable citizens of our community.

References

Denihan, W.M, (2008, July 23). CEO Headliners. Cleveland, OH: Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board. Volume 5, Issue 7, p. 1. Retrieve this publication from the Board's website.

Gambatese, K.E. & Denihan, W.M. (2008, March 26). Fy2009 Non-Medicaid Budget Book. Cleveland, OH: Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board. Retrieved 7 August 2008 from: http://www.cccmhb.org/publications/FY09%20CCCMHB%20Non-Medicaid%20Budget%20Book.pdf

Spector, Harlan. (6 August 2008). Mental health agency Bridgeway limits, transfers patients. Cleveland, OH: The Plain Dealer, p B4. Retrieve the article from Cleveland.com. (Articles are available without charge for a limited time.)

Copyright ©
Mental Health Services for Homeless Persons, Inc. (MHS)
1744 Payne Avenue; Cleveland, Ohio 44114 U.S.A.
216-623-6555 - TTY/TDD: 216-623-6540

The URL of this page is
http://www.mhs-inc.org/-Newsroom-.asp
It was most recently updated on 21 August 2008.
We welcome your comments.
Please write to Joel[at]mhs-inc.org