BOSTON – Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposal to fund the Department of Mental Health at $911 million next fiscal year would increase spending at the department by just 1%, enabling current service levels to continue but paying for only a pair of targeted new investments.
An $8.6 million investment, should it survive legislative budget talks, would pay for 80 new substance use disorder beds for men who are civilly committed, according to budget testimony submitted Monday by Department of Mental Health Commissioner Joan Mikula. Another investment, $1.7 million, would support the discharge of 63 department patients from Tewksbury Hospital who have been deemed clinically ready to be transferred to community settings.
The department is among the state agencies presenting testimony Monday to Ways and Means Committee members at a fiscal 2021 budget hearing in Needham. According to Mikula’s testimony, the budget will also support labor costs associated with collective bargaining talks, cost-of-living adjustments, and increases in food, pharmaceuticals, and space lease costs.
The department has 27 offices and serves about 29,000 individuals with “severe and persistent mental health conditions,” with about 10% receiving inpatient services and the remainder receiving community services.
“Over the years, the department has witnessed a shift in admissions,” according to Mikula’s testimony. “There are more individuals receiving court-ordered commitments and transferring from the acute hospital system and Bridgewater State Hospital (BSH) that have increased clinical complexity, personal safety risks, and increased public safety risks.”