Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
In response to a revenue shortfall, the legislature is set to put into motion massive cuts to public health services funding. The proposed funding cuts include a decrease in reimbursement to mental health agencies of 41 percent for case management services, as well as 3.5 percent for all other children’s mental health services. These cuts come on the heels of a mounting public health crisis in Montana. Over the last several years, the state has seen a rise in suicide, an increased rate of childhood mental illness, a growing drug epidemic, and climbing foster care numbers. A decision to cut funding, ultimately decreasing availability of support services for vulnerable Montanans could be catastrophic, having a long-term impact on our state.
According to the National Institute of Health, 1 in 5 children suffer from a debilitating mental health disorder. Without early intervention and supportive services, these children are at a heightened risk for completed suicide, entry into the juvenile justice system, substance abuse issues, and lifelong mental illness. Current resources have not been enough to halt the growing public health needs, and this has directly impacted social issues. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Montana leads the nation in completed suicide. Furthermore, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services reports in their Strategic Suicide Prevention Plan for 2017 that suicide is now the second leading cause of death for children as young as ten years old. Suicide is just a small piece of a mounting problem. Every day we see evidence of a growing drug epidemic that is plaguing our state through the news. The proposed budget cuts include a reduction in funding of 3.5 percent for substance abuse treatment to providers. The number of children in the Montana foster care system has reached an all-time high, with over 3,000 children living in the states custody. Supportive services to children and families, along with substance abuse treatment play a critical role in preventing children from entering the foster care system. Supportive services help children and parents overcome addiction, give parents the tools to safely and effectively parent their children, help families maintain safe housing, and help keep people out of the justice system. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, up to 70 percent of adult and juvenile offenders met criteria for a mental health condition or substance abuse disorder. It stands to reason that reducing funding for mental and behavioral health services, as well as substance abuse services, will only exacerbate crime and foster care numbers in Montana.
In response to the concerns of the families we serve and our local teams, we have no plans to suspend services in any of our locations. Youth Dynamics has been serving Montana children and families since 1981, and will continue to serve families in all of our 31 locations, despite funding cuts. As an agency, we are not willing to turn our back on vulnerable children and families in need of support. We believe that as a non-profit children’s behavioral health provider we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to make sure that no child falls through the cracks during these difficult times ahead. In addition, we will continue to welcome new families in need of support without any waiting period. We recognize the reality of this situation, and will continue to advocate for the restoration of funds. We are concerned about the pending cuts to state public health funding, but we will conduct business as usual by continuing to search for efficiencies internally and alternative sources of funding. We have always relied on donations to help us to provide services to families who would not otherwise be able to access them. Our Development Consultant, Nina Hernandez, has recently launched a new fundraising campaign in preparation for upcoming funding cuts. Additionally, we rely heavily on our local teams to provide supportive services to children and families across Montana. Youth Dynamics currently employs over 500 Montanans, and our employees will continue their hard work in reaching all Montana youth in need.
While Youth Dynamics has no plans to suspend services or lay off staff in preparation for the cuts, we acknowledge there are serious social implications for our legislature’s decision to make this drastic reduction in public health funding. The decision could have a lasting negative, long-term impact on our state. We have a vested interest in Montana, and are very interested in working with the Department of Public Health and Human Services on how to best manage the state budget cuts to insure the best outcomes for Montana. We will not allow our families and teams to live in fear. We have always been a proactive, solution seeking organization; this has helped us to overcome challenging situations in the past. We have been honored to serve Montana communities for 36 years, and look forward to providing strong services in the many years to come.
Peter Degel, PhD, is CEO for Youth Dynamics.
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