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Community Mental Health director warns of structural deficit and urges move toward needs-based Medicaid funding
Summary
CMH CEO Dr. Bouchard told commissioners the department faces a multi-million dollar deficit driven by Medicaid revenue declines, rising autism/residential costs, and unchanged entitlement obligations; he urged regional/state advocacy for a needs-based funding model.
Dr. Bouchard, the chief executive of the Community Mental Health (CMH) department, gave commissioners a detailed briefing on caseloads, service demand and fiscal pressures. He said CMH directly employs about 220 county staff and coordinates roughly 400 contract providers, and that the department’s operating budget is approximately $73,000,000.
Bouchard reported 258 crisis contacts in the two-month window covered by the report, with 67 of those contacts not resulting in inpatient hospitalization. He explained the front‑door screening process: roughly 1,000 initial contacts…
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