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Historian469 t1_j8bd3i5 wrote

Reply to comment by megachickabutt in Column: Va.'s behavioral health system is woefully underfunded by greenhousecrtv

The disparity isn't because of the government. The CSBs are grossly mismanaged. Therapeutic Day Treatment was the biggest money maker for them, but the local school boards didn't want them for a variety of reasons. My wife did TDT for nine years, and her school board kicked them out because her boss pissed off the superintendent (and a private entity two counties over did some shady stuff to win the contract). Thankfully, she got a job in private practice three days before it was announced they lost the contract.

If you really want to make a difference in the access to mental health services for the youth of Virginia, you'd tell the author of the article that the cheapest option would be to force the school boards to use the CSBs for TDT. That would alleviate the need for further funding from the state.

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mallydobb t1_j8dgagg wrote

It’s not so clear cut but you do make good points. Mental health and local politics go hand in hand and I’ve seen how local leadership in CSBs reflect in contracts, MOUs, and more. The government has not given a clear roadmap with realistic and achievable goals and continues to give local mental health agencies mixed signals. CSBs used tdt as a cash cow and abused the system, using it as a foundation to pad their budget. Often keeping kids in service for longer than needed. At this point tdt is gone with no replacement offered. CSBs and agencies that used to provide the service don’t have staff for it and claim they won’t hire because of Medicaid auths and difficulty coupled with no guidance from the state. State is apparently asking the csbs why they don’t provide TDT. Finger pointing in both directions.

I speak from personal and professional ties to the field and am working closely to try to address some disparities in my community so my soapbox isn’t just grandstanding 😇

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Historian469 t1_j8fj25d wrote

All of that points back to what I said: they are mismanaged.

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rickkicks t1_j8cac1x wrote

I’m a bit apprehensive of the limited post history

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