As Riverbend heads into the second half of our fiscal year, we are doing our best to meet the needs of the community, including an 11% increase in demand for services, while anticipating the third cut to Medicaid rates in the past six months.

At a press conference on January 28th, the Concord-based Endowment for Health unveiled data on the fiscal health of New Hampshire’s community mental health centers. Nancy Kane, a Professor at Harvard’s School of Public Health stated that her research into the finances of the community mental health centers, “…shows that they have not accumulated the financial reserves to withstand major cuts in Medicaid, their primary source of revenue.”

Although Riverbend is in relatively strong financial shape, it cannot withstand repeated cuts without changes in how we deliver services. Riverbend’s management team has developed a menu of options that can be implemented depending on the extent of the next rate cut. We have worked hard to ensure that we maintain clinical quality, our mission and core services.

It is during times like these that Riverbend needs it partners and supporters more than ever. The consumers, families, children and youth we serve provide the inspiration we need to keep going. Our supporters, donors and community partners allow us to continue to serve high need groups despite deepening rate cuts.

During these difficult times, I pledge to do my utmost to make the case to legislators and policymakers that community mental health expenditures make good clinical and fiscal sense. Our cost to provide services has gone down this year. Every time Riverbend is able to keep a child in school or an adult out of the hospital we save the State thousands of dollars. And, of course, supporting consumers and families to live successfully in the community is the right thing to do.

With fewer resources, mental health centers will need innovations like Riverbend’s Health Buddy project. Using home-based computer technology we are showing that consumers can learn to improve their compliance with treatment and manage their symptoms independently. The real-time data Riverbend staff obtain from Health Buddy helps us give the “right treatment at the right time and place” to those in need. Health Buddy is effective, cost-effective and empowering.

If you haven’t joined us as a supporter before, now is the right time. We need you, your voice, your resources, your donations. Help Riverbend do what it does best: caring for the mental health of our community.

 

Louis Josephson, Ph.D.