The state has lifted financial sanctions against Cayuga County Mental Health.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Linda Albrecht, chair of the Cayuga County Community Services Board, speaks at a meeting Monday afternoon at the county mental health facility on North Street. The board held an emergency meeting called to approve a motion related to the search for a new director of community services.
Linda Albrecht, chair of the Cayuga County Community Services Board, speaks at a meeting Monday afternoon at the county mental health facility on North Street. The board held an emergency meeting called to approve a motion related to the search for a new director of community services.
However, the department still needs to improve to meet state standards.
According to a letter from the state Office of Mental Health, the county has been re-certified to receive comprehensive outpatient program supplement funding.
The announcement came after a March 13 inspection of the mental health clinic, which showed upgrades from the last inspection but still included a number of citations.
The outpatient supplement funds compliment Medicaid revenues for the mental health clinic and bring in an average of approximately $2,000 a day, according to county officials. The state began to withhold the money in October after citing Mental Health for inadequate space in the basement of the Historic Post Office, lack of privacy and incomplete records.
According to the letter from the state Office of Mental Health, the county now meets the minimum requirements to receive the funds.
The report from the most recent inspection noted a number of improvements to the site, including removal of lead paint from a staff office and current construction to improve the waiting room.
The report also recognized that the county has approved structural renovations to the site and construction of an additional site on North Street.
The funding restoration will be up for renewal Sept. 30.
However, the letter from the Office of Mental Health still places the clinic in the state's third and lowest certification category. The report also cited the clinic for privacy issues, problems with document and improper medication storage.
Cayuga County Legislative Chairman Roger Mills said Tuesday that the department still needs improvement. But the county has made “significant progress” toward correcting its deficiencies, he said.
“It is terrific that the funding has been restored,” Mills said. “It is a significant amount that we need in order to keep funding those services.”
Members of the Community Services Board learned of the state's decision Monday during an emergency board meeting. The meeting was called to approve a measure allowing the county to advertise for the position of community services director, which was vacated when former director David Blair retired. The Legislature is looking to change a local law and gain full control of the hiring and firing of the community services director.
Linda Albrecht, chair of the Community Services Board, said the board and the Legislature are not working against one another to fill the position of director. Such cooperation can't hurt when the state makes these decisions, she said.
“We are working collaboratively,” Albrecht said. “When the factions were split, the state said to work it out on our own.”
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
According to a letter from the state Office of Mental Health, the county has been re-certified to receive comprehensive outpatient program supplement funding.
The announcement came after a March 13 inspection of the mental health clinic, which showed upgrades from the last inspection but still included a number of citations.
The outpatient supplement funds compliment Medicaid revenues for the mental health clinic and bring in an average of approximately $2,000 a day, according to county officials. The state began to withhold the money in October after citing Mental Health for inadequate space in the basement of the Historic Post Office, lack of privacy and incomplete records.
According to the letter from the state Office of Mental Health, the county now meets the minimum requirements to receive the funds.
The report from the most recent inspection noted a number of improvements to the site, including removal of lead paint from a staff office and current construction to improve the waiting room.
The report also recognized that the county has approved structural renovations to the site and construction of an additional site on North Street.
The funding restoration will be up for renewal Sept. 30.
However, the letter from the Office of Mental Health still places the clinic in the state's third and lowest certification category. The report also cited the clinic for privacy issues, problems with document and improper medication storage.
Cayuga County Legislative Chairman Roger Mills said Tuesday that the department still needs improvement. But the county has made “significant progress” toward correcting its deficiencies, he said.
“It is terrific that the funding has been restored,” Mills said. “It is a significant amount that we need in order to keep funding those services.”
Members of the Community Services Board learned of the state's decision Monday during an emergency board meeting. The meeting was called to approve a measure allowing the county to advertise for the position of community services director, which was vacated when former director David Blair retired. The Legislature is looking to change a local law and gain full control of the hiring and firing of the community services director.
Linda Albrecht, chair of the Community Services Board, said the board and the Legislature are not working against one another to fill the position of director. Such cooperation can't hurt when the state makes these decisions, she said.
“We are working collaboratively,” Albrecht said. “When the factions were split, the state said to work it out on our own.”
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
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