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PO Box 1 085 Harrisburg, PA 17108-1085 Working Together
Campaign Talking
Points For use from now
until further notice from the MH/MR Coalition There is a direct
link between a stable, qualified staff and high quality services. What happened during the FY2001-2002 budget cycle? .The MH/MR Coalition began its advocacy efforts early on by lobbying the Governor's Office and the Department of Public Welfare to recognize the issue of direct care worker recruitment and retention and to address it with additional funds -our request was additional state funds of $100M over the next two years. .The Department and the Governor's Office responded by including $17.5 million additional state dollars in the Governor's budget proposal to address the recruitment and retention crisis for community-based mental health and mental retardation direct care workers. .The Coalition continued to work with its many allies and supporters -families, consumers, advocacy organizations, and numerous members of the General Assembly -to advocate for a $50 million state dollar increase to the proposed $17.5 million. .The Coalition and its supporters were disappointed to see that the final state budget did not include additional funds over the $17.5 million proposed. However, our advocacy efforts were essential to insuring that the $17.5 million state dollars remained intact during this year's difficult budget cutting process. These monies will be appropriated on a continuing basis. .The funding contained in the final FY2001/02 budget will be used for locally- based initiatives aimed at improving community-based mental health and mental retardation direct care worker recruitment and retention. What are we asking for in the FY2002-2003 budget? .The needs of consumers with mental illness and mental retardation haven't changed, and the demands placed on the agencies and direct care staff who provide them with necessary, and in some cases, life-saving, services haven't changed either. .Therefore, the Coalition strongly believes there is still a need to put an overall addition of $100 million state dollars into the community mental health and mental retardation
system as part of a multi-year funding effort. The Coalition will be seeking an increase of additional state dollars during FY 2002-2003 budget. This amount will be added to the already existing $17.5 million. This funding is necessary to close the gap created by historical underfunding, increasingly complex regulatory requirements, and increased mandates in the MH/MR area. How was $100M
calculated as our request? .The figure is based on the cumulative shortfalls of the Cost of Living Adjustments over the past 10+ years. We compared the Consumer Price Index and the COLAs for the past 10 years and found that the COLA did not meet the CPI increase for almost every year -a cumulative shortfall of approximately $1 OOM Is this issue only
about more money? .Money isn't the only issue but it has been identified as the most critical need to address the recruitment and retention crisis. The Coalition recognizes that other factors, in addition to compensation, are responsible for this crisis, including: low unemployment rate, a smaller pool of potential applicants, lack of qualified workers, less interest in the human service field, etc. .Our surveys and interviews show, however, that low compensation is the key issue involved in the high turnover rate and difficulty in recruiting and retaining MH/MR staff. We cannot compete with wages currently paid by the fast food and retail industry and increased funds in the system is the first step to addressing the recruitment and retention crisis. Isn't $100M just too
much to expect? .This money goes for direct services to the state's clients who might otherwise remain in institutions. $100M doesn't seem like much when you realize that community-based MH/MR agencies serve over 280,000 Pennsylvanians. The MH/MR system has suffered from administrative and fiscal neglect for over a decade, despite protests from the human service providers, families, and clients in need. Why should the state
focus on MH/MR when other service areas are also underfunded? .The situation in the MH/MR area is particularly acute because this is one of the few areas where the services enable thousands of persons to live in the community among natural supports, near jobs and family. The development of the community-based MH/MR system has enabled literally thousands of persons to leave large state mental hospitals and state mental retardation centers. The state is legally required to enable persons to live in community settings, and the community-based system is eager to carry out this requirement if adequate funding and staff are available. Why should the state
foot the bill for these services? .The community MH/MR system is serving persons who are the state's responsibility. By providing community-based services, we enable the state to downsize its state mental hospitals and state mental retardation centers, and return people to their communities. It is paradoxical that the state underfunds one of the most significant lifelines that it and the MH/MR clients have to a better quality of life. In addition, community services are oftentimes less expensive to the state than its own institutions. How do the community
salaries compare with state salaries for the same services? .A study by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee in February 1999, Salary Levels and
Their Impact on Quality of Care.. .in Community-Based MH/MR Programs, stated that"... direct care workers in DPW MH/MR facilities earned an average of $14.50 per hour...in November 1998, compared to $8.13 per hour for direct care workers in private programs." (p. 5-3) THE
MH/MR COALITION INCLUDES ALL OF THE MAJOR ASSOCIATIONS THAT REPRESENT MENTAL
HEALTH AND/OR MENTAL
RETARDATION PROVIDER AGENCIES AND COUNTIES IN PENNSYLVANIA: THE ARC-PA,
MENTAL HEALTH AsSOCIATIONS
OF PA, MH/MR PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS OF PA, PA ASSOCIATION OF REHABILITATION FACILITIES,
PA AsSOCIATION OF RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL RETARDATION, PA COMMUNITY
PROVIDERS AsSOCIATION, AND UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY OF PA. FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION, CONTACT ANY OF THE ORGANIZATIONS
LISTED. |