Limestone commission considers cutting mental health funds

Sept. 03--ATHENS -- A Limestone County Commission proposal to cut funding in half for the Mental Health Center of North Central Alabama was met Wednesday by concerns for the indigent and the potential for tragedy.

Executive Director Marie Hood and Bill Giguere, development director of the mental health center, met with the commission about a proposed fiscal 2016 budget that would cut the center's funding from $52,500 annually to $25,000.

Giguere said the $52,500 allocated to the mental health center during fiscal 2015 helped 67 Limestone County adults who were indigent -- living on less than $7,000 a year -- or who had no insurance or other payment sources to assist them in receiving needed mental health care.

"Allocations from each body of local government only help people from that area," Giguere said. "They were able to receive psychiatric services only because county funds were available."

He said reducing funding to $25,000 would eliminate psychiatric care to about 35 people in the county who have been diagnosed with a serious mental illness, which refers to disorders such as schizophrenia, major depression and bipolar disorder.

"You never know what tragedy you could be preventing," Giguere said, by helping the mentally ill.

Hood said mental illness has been a factor in many recent mass shootings throughout the U.S.

"This is the only source of local funding that we get for county residents," Giguere said. "United Way funds are used completely for school-based services for children."

County Commission Chairman Mark Yarbrough said the the commission is considering cutting the allocation because it appeared Limestone County funds were being used for the mentally ill in other counties.

"The City of Decatur hasn't given any money to the mental health center but 499 Decatur residents were helped, so it looked like we were paying for everybody," Yarbrough said.

A report given to the commission outlines the total number of patients helped by the center in March. The numbers included those who have insurance, or another source of payment, as well as those whose care was funded by local dollars.

Total number served in Limestone County in March, excluding Athens, was 120 people. In Moulton, 136 people were served; 131 in Lawrence County, excluding Moulton; 450 in Athens; 499 in Decatur; 121 in Hartselle; and 171 in Morgan County, excluding Hartselle and Decatur.

Giguere said Decatur hasn't given money to the mental health center for the past two fiscal years. The 499 Decatur residents who received services were people who have insurance or another source of funding to pay for their services.

Yarbrough said the information presented by the center was misleading because it showed the overall number of people helped in Limestone County, not specifically the number of people helped by County Commission dollars.

"Limestone County has the highest number of indigent people served because the county gives the most money," Giguere said. "We can only do so much to help those who can't afford services. We're a nonprofit, but we still have bills to pay."

When Decatur was allocating funds to the center, Giguere said, the center was able to help 26 indigent adults and provide five beds for the juvenile probation office.

The City of Athens allocated $10,000 in fiscal 2015, which helped 19 indigent adult residents in Athens.

"We appreciate them coming," Yarbrough said after the meeting. "I'm sure the commission will take everything we discussed into consideration and make a decision on it."

The fiscal year ends Sept. 30. The Limestone County Commission must pass its fiscal 2016 budget by Oct. 1.

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