Recommended Budget Volume One.book - Chief Executive Office ...

The elimination of the increase in American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Federal Medicaid Assistance
Percentage (FMAP), which is the federal match rate for
non-administrative Medicaid costs, reduced the Department’s
FY 2011-12 revenue by approximately $19.6 million. DMH will
utilize the Bridge to Reform Section 1115 Medicaid
Demonstration (Waiver) to access new federal funding to
partially mitigate the budget gap created by the loss of the
FMAP increase. To address the remaining balance, the
Department is working with its stakeholders and community
partners to continue the process of restructuring the service
delivery system to achieve the necessary savings.
The Recommended Budget reflects a net increase of
53.0 positions. The increase in positions includes:
1) implementation of the County’s Action Plan pursuant to the
Memorandum of Agreement with the DOJ (22.0 positions);
2) the restructuring of the GR Program with the expectation
that more GR participants will be able to transition off of
County assistance (14.0 positions); 3) redirection of funds
previously paid to the Treasurer and Tax Collector (TTC) to fund
positions to enable the Office of the Public Guardian to assume
fiscal and accounting services TTC is no longer able to provide
(3.0 positions); 4) implementation of the Collaborative Care
Integration program with the Department of Health Services
(DHS) to deliver Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) mental
health services at DHS facilities (22.0 positions); and
5) additional supervision to address the critical oversight
required to comply with the Katie A. Strategic Plan
(2.0 positions). The increase in positions is partially offset by
the elimination of the Day Reporting Center Program
(2.0 positions), elimination of the Lancaster Screening Program
(2.0 positions), and miscellaneous position changes resulting
from the Information Technology Occupational Study
(6.0 positions).
The Recommended Budget will allow the Department to
continue collaborating with County departments, its
stakeholders, and community partners to implement MHSA
programs, Board priorities, and other mandates that ensure the
provision of highest quality and most cost-effective services to
children, adolescents, adults and older adults with serious
mental illnesses or disorders. These include, but are not limited
to, the following: 1) the ongoing assessment of services
provided by MHSA funded programs to children, transition-age
youth, adults and older adults to ensure they reflect the
MENTAL HEALTH
Budget Summaries
Department’s commitment to a wellness and recoveryoriented
system of care; 2) the continued collaboration with
the Department of Children and Family Services on the
implementation of the Katie A. Strategic Plan; 3) active
participation in the restructuring of the GR Program in
association with the Department of Public Social Services;
4) the implementation of the Collaborative Care Integration
program with DHS to deliver PEI mental health services at DHS
facilities; 5) services to chronically homeless individuals with
serious mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse
disorders; and 6) the execution of the County Action Plan to
address the needs of the DOJ in conjunction with the Probation
Department.
The Recommended Budget also reflects cost-saving efforts for
the Department’s pharmacy program by requiring all mental
health directly operated clinics to participate in the Patients
Assistance Program (PAP) to increase the number of clients
eligible for benefits. Additional efficiencies, such as, reduction
of cell phone and printer costs, implementation of
telepsychiatry and video conferencing, and the reduced
reliance on portable laptop computers will be realized
throughout FY 2011-12, enabling the Department to offset
other cost increases without impacting the delivery of mental
health services.
Critical/Strategic Planning Initiatives
The Department continues to identify and implement strategic
approaches to ensure the provision of high quality and
cost-effective care to individuals with serious mental illness/
disorders. In FY 2011-12 these will include:
■ Implementation of the 1115 Waiver as a transition to Health
Care Reform.
■ Implementation of evidence-based or promising practices
through the rollout of MHSA – PEI programs.
■ Collaboration with other County departments such as
Children and Family Services (Katie A. Strategic Plan),
Probation (Juvenile Justice), and Public Social Services
(General Relief).
■ Inclusion of stakeholders and community partners in efforts to
transform the entire mental health system.
■ Continuation of focus on outcomes and increasing services for
underserved ethnic populations.
FY 2011-12 Recommended Budget Volume One 36.2 County of Los Angeles