The year 2009 will certainly be remembered for a variety of reasons, but for those of us who are part of the mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse community our memories will focus on the impact that the global financial crisis had upon our system.

In September 2009 area mental health centers across the state were notified of significant reductions in funding for service delivery and system management, as well as rate reductions for most Medicaid funded services. In addition, the decision was made to discontinue the service known as Community Support. Residential options for children are changing from group to family settings.

While the decision was made at both legislative and state levels that crisis funds would be protected, all other age and disability categories received reductions. For Orange, Person and Chatham counties this equaled a reduction of 21.5 percent in our non-crisis funding.

With the integrity of our system as a priority and using feedback gathered from multiple stakeholders, OPC established three principles in applying the reductions.

First, preserve services whenever possible to reduce the impact on consumers;

Second, spread the cuts as evenly as possible across all disability groups; and

Third, protect the stability of the provider community to the extent possible.

As a result OPC implemented reductions in our basic benefit plans, reduced the number of available slots for high-cost services, froze some services at the current level, reduced rates for some providers, and eliminated some of what we defined as support funding.

For some people this will mean that after the initial screening they will be referred to already existing community resources. For some it will mean that we will authorize an initial assessment and eight individual sessions, rather than the assessment and 26 sessions that might have been available last year.

For others it will mean that after an initial assessment they will be placed on a wait list rather than having immediate access to services. For existing consumers it may mean that treatment plans will be modified to include a different, more effective level of care. Significantly, crisis services will continue to be available, and all treatment decisions, whether for new or existing consumers, will be made based on the presenting needs of the individual.

In October Gov. Perdue made the decision to restore a portion of the lost funding to the system. OPC applied the same principles in the restoration as we had in the initial reductions. A comprehensive review of our initial budget reductions can be found at www.opcareaprogram.org.

OPC's mission is to work in conjunction with consumers, their families and our providers so that consumers can lead satisfying lives as integral, valued and contributing members of the community. We acknowledge that our ability and that of our providers to fulfill this mission will be limited by this unprecedented depletion of resources, but we are tremendously heartened by the commitment and focus that we have seen to date from everyone involved in the system.

We are also encouraged by the fact that there are several new initiatives in development such as the establishment of Critical Access Behavioral Health Agencies, and a renewed focus on the feasibility of Medicaid waivers across the state.

OPC welcomes your feedback and involvement as we move forward in these challenging times!