A continuing series
Andrew Weber had a big smile when he talked about the fact he was turning 21 in 12 days.
“I can”t wait,” he said, following last week”s mental health board meeting, when he told his story as an illustration of the community collaboration strategy implemented by Mental Health Director Tom Pinizzotto.
Weber”s inspiring tale of recovery, to the point where he lives alone without counseling or other services, got a vigorous round of applause.
Weber, after leaving the foster care system at age 18, made the transition to independent living with the help of the TAY (Transition Age Youth) program.
Weber is a graduate of the Redwood Children”s Services TAY program in Ukiah and spoke to the board to illustrate how Full Service Partnerships (FSPs) are used here to both treat and save money.
“I was super excited to meet Andrew and he was not excited to meet me..it was oh another worker,”” said Tanya Lane, who described herself as “life coach” to the eight young people currently in the program.
“We work on daily living skills you don”t know you are missing until you get out on your own. They have all the normal things that come with being a teenager and then they have complexities that come with being qualified for our program as well,” said Lane.
In addition to anxiety, depression and other diagnosed mental health disorders, Weber has Huntington”s disease, an inherited degenerative brain disorder.
“That was another factor in him [perhaps] thinking why bother? Why would I want to improve my life when this is as good as it”s going to get?”” said Lane.
The two teamed up to tell his story, laughing about the first time he went to the grocery store and found out he could now buy whatever he wanted.
Budgeting and hygiene are among the concepts taught.
“Andrew never told me to beat it and we formed a relationship and started making some headway. Then something just clicked with him and he has cut his ties and his need for us,” Lane said.
Weber said the TAY program helped him, but clearly said what he was thinking, not what anyone wanted him to say.
“The program went well, I think. I”ve actually learned more being out of the program,” he said. “I”m not taking any meds, and I feel much better. I had never had the choice before.”
Although the TAY program existed prior to the new regime at mental health, it”s the kind of vision that Pinizzotto wants to spread.
Weber”s story was the most poignant moment of a meeting when board members were often frustrated by lack of specifics and numbers. Also, the meeting was billed as a joint meeting with Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) stakeholders. Nothing about it resembled a joint meeting. In fact, there was considerable confusion about who is on the stakeholders committee, what exactly millions of state bond funds is being spent on, and if the MHSA stakeholders committee even plans to meet anytime soon.
Over the past year, Pinizzotto, and his supervisor, Health and Human Services Agency Director Stacey Cryer, have accomplished what no previous mental health department in this county ever has — they”ve put the department budget in the black. Mental health employee staffing levels have been cut back from 120 to 48 people, as part of the budget balancing strategy. Pinizzotto claims that these cutbacks, while painful, have been paired with improved efforts to treat people at home and locally as much as possible, which is good for both the client and the budget.
Pinizzotto hopes partnerships and teamwork involving other public, nonprofit and private agencies, can allow the mental health department to move forward now that steep cutbacks were made.
HHSA funding
To date, it”s been nearly impossible to find any specifics on how Mental Health Service Act funds in Mendocino County — and mental health money on the Coast — are being spent. The meeting didn”t help.
MHB member Morris Kaplan unsuccessfully sought detailed data several times from Pinizzotto.
“What about the statistics from the previous year for hospital admissions?” Kaplan asked at one point.
“Data is important. You can”t make wise management decisions without it,” said Pinizzotto, who then said the county computer system makes the information difficult to access.
Not only did the mental health branch endure huge cutbacks, the Ukiah office had to relocate its offices along with the antiquated county computer system.
“The system is not in place yet. It”s been difficult working with the computer system as it exists. We will try to provide that data?. to have regular data points we can share with the group,” Pinizzotto said.
“What is your sense of it?” continued Kaplan, who is a consumer in the mental health system, as well as a board member.
“I”m still trying to get my finger on the pulse,” said Pinizzotto.
Later, new board member James Bassler was also baffled at the data offered about the Mental Health Service Act.
“I”m really confused. I have been a bookkeeper and I have to say the numbers just aren”t here,” Bassler told Mental Health Services Act Coordinator Jennifer Kennedy.
Camille Schraeder, president of Redwood Children”s Services, who was one of a few MHSA stakeholders on hand for the “joint meeting” that never materialized, added that if MHSA funding could be broken down that would help.
It”s a big job
Pinizzotto, a father of eight who commutes from Roseville, has incredible energy and many ideas, as well as a resume that shows he has made ideas work; he has fixed some serious problems since he took over. One is arranging Medi-Cal billing so the county now gets reimbursed for out-of-county hospitalizations. Another example Pinizzotto gives is saving nearly $15,000 per month on a contract with Black Talon of Napa to drive patients to the hospital. He switched that contract from retainer to “per drive.”
Pinizzotto, a county “extra-help” employee, has an impressive resume, including managing departments in Colusa and Yolo counties and provided consulting services to several important efforts to create hospitals and better services.
He turns negative situations — as well as negative questions — into positives and infuses his answers with a vision for the future. But he won”t look back or talk about the painful culture he inherited in Mendocino County.
Does it defy credulity to say Mendocino County can have better mental health services with just over one-third as many employees?
“I think we are in a good position right now?. we are in a building phase,” said Pinizzotto.
Fort Bragg, once staffed with 10 employees and extra help, shrank to four this year. Pinizzotto told the Mental Health Board about a new fifth employee and a sixth on the way.
He said he knew right away he could make cuts and improve services. For example, he said he compared the out-of-county hospital commitment days in Mendocino County in one year (2,700) to Nevada County (800) days. Nevada County is similar in size and demographics.
Pinizzotto explained how Colusa County”s department was deeply in the red and in crisis when he arrived and had to make painful cuts to record low levels. He said he helped put that county on a positive track. It now has nearly as many employees in mental health as Mendocino County, which has five times Colusa”s population.
He sees better times ahead and shares a vision for many FSP programs like the one Weber graduated from, which keep people at home and out of the trauma of institutionalization.
Another good human interest example was offered at the meeting of a man (anonymous) who spent a lifetime in and out of jail and finally ended up in the most extreme form of commitment, being conserved. He has since worked his way into housing, has not been arrested and wants to start a landscaping business, all with the help of community partnership programs.
Pinizzotto also told of a new program that will make two “rental” mental health beds available at Hospitality House. The problem is clients must leave Hospitality House between breakfast and dinner each day. That discussion hit a sore point for Pinizzotto — the closure of Fort Bragg”s Red House Recovery Center.
Pinizzotto was adamant that the Red House is not closed as was reported, as it is now being used for counseling groups and the Red House is a big part of the future plans of mental health.
At the same time the doors were locked to drop-ins in Fort Bragg, the Ukiah equivalent stayed open and the Willits center was in transition, too. Locking the doors seemed contradictory to the mission of keeping people at home and out of jail.
Why didn”t the county go to the community and ask for support to keep the Red House open?
“Now is the time to go to the community for help, not when we were bleeding red ink. We”re in a building phase right now, and I”m excited about it,” he said.
Bassler wanted to know if MHSA funding could be used to implement Laura”s Law, which allows family members and others to initiate a process which can result in voluntary commitments at home.
Nevada County officials say they have used MHSA monies to pay for Laura”s Law. However, Mendocino County presented a memo from a disability rights lawyer who argues that MHSA funds cannot be used to implement Laura”s Law.
“Maybe we wouldn”t have to call it Laura”s Law and it could go forward under another name?” suggested Bassler.
Meanwhile, there is bad news in every federal, state and county agency about mental health. The state department of mental health is being shut down over the next few years. MHB member Perry Two Feather Tripp has been working with the transition of that state agency. He portrayed it as an opportunity for Mendocino County to improve the services it gets by being directly involved.
Senior counseling
At the MHB meeting, Susan Bridge-Mount told about her new effort with the Senior Peer Counseling Program. Mental Health Service Act money goes through the Redwood Coast Senior Center to send trained senior citizen volunteers out to homes of those 55 and older with a mental health diagnosis. Bridge-Mount told the board about the rising rate of suicide among seniors and provided a pamphlet that contained local testimonials of those helped by peer counselors.
Where else specifically is the money being spent on the Coast? That question will be pursued throughout this series.
Website data
The county website has several documents related to the MHSA process and funding, which describes, in general bureaucratic language, the categories and broad areas where money is being spent.
The state website also contains documents that show categories where money is being spent, although nothing is reported from this year.
Last year”s state document registered more than 100 pages, all in a 7-point font, but without any explanation that might help anyone follow the money to actual programs and people.
Kennedy pointed out several times that MHSA is a consumer-driven process. She also noted that the MHSA committee is a subcommittee of the mental health board, which has the authority to compose it.
The county reports on its website that MHSA consumers have also asked for more specific information from the county.
