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Portland Help
Center may close
(July 2005
Issue)
By Phyllis Hanlon
The Portland Help Center could be one of the casualties of Maine's
efforts to balance its budget.
The outpatient clinic was founded in 1991 by NASA scientist Stanley
Block, M.D. and prompted by a need for community support in the
wake of deinstitutionalization. A number of advocates, however,
hope to spare the Center through intensive lobbying campaigns.
According to David Lobozzo, M.D., a Center staff psychiatrist,
reduced Medicaid payments as well as a decreased number of grants
from the Department of Mental Health (DMH) have placed the facility
in crisis. Staff cuts and tighter appointment scheduling have not
sufficiently reduced expenses. Lobozzo expresses slim hope that
a for-profit community provider might intervene. "The problem is
that traditionally it's been impossible to break even serving this
population," he says. "We are concerned that our people will not
be well served."
Spurwink Corporation acquired the Center several years ago, according
to Peter McPherson, Spurwink's president, who blames the economy
for the current situation. "Three and a half years ago, we got close
to $400,000 in grant money. This year, it was down to $60,000,"
he says. After talks with the DMH, another $40,000 was added to
the fund. In the past, Spurwink also subsidized between $100,000
and $150,000 of the cost of operating the Center. But, declining
resources prohibits them from continuing that practice.
McPherson says, "A number of other agencies are trying to find
ways to manage budgets for the same reason." He reports that Senate
Majority Leader Michael Brennan (D-Cumberland County) has been instrumental
in bringing the DMH commissioner, representatives of the governor's
office and Center officials together for talks. A National Alliance
for the Mentally Ill-sponsored rally and recent media coverage has
also raised public awareness about the situation.
At risk are the approximately 400 individuals that the Center serves
each year. According to McPherson, many of these patients are uninsured
or underinsured and some are not covered under Medicaid benefits.
"We are trying to avoid an interruption of services. Clients who
are largely stabilized could regress if services are stopped, if
medications are not managed and monitored," he says. "Their community
tenure would be shaky. They would penetrate the justice system and
the hospitals."
Center Director Catherine Lorello-Snow, RNC remains optimistic
about a reprieve. "We are trying to reconfigure the Center in a
way that makes sense for a funding stream, but we want to try to
stick to the original model," she says. She focuses on the promises
made to clients when the Center was designed, citing the importance
of relationships. The Center has always "been there" for each of
its clients. She alludes to work in the state legislature that could
present an answer. "They [legislators] will be pretty close to a
solution," she says.
Although closure was scheduled for the end of June, McPherson says
that the process might extend beyond July 1 as New England Psychologist
went to press. "We have medical and moral reasons to take care of
these clients," he says.
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