If enacted, the proposed changes would cut off access to critical mental health care for those that are most vulnerable, in need, and under-served in our community. Please consider those Medicaid recipients that are currently engaged in treatment with a license-eligible provider that will lose their provider, and all of those that will now wait even longer to be served, if ever. These changes will ultimately cost more in tax-payer dollars as individuals that could have previously accessed treatment by a license-eligible provider will no longer be able to, and those issues that could have been treated on an outpatient level of care will deteriorate into full-blown crisis that will require much more expensive levels of care (hospitalization, residential treatment, crisis stablization, intensive in-home, etc.).

DO NOT approve the proposed changes to provider qualifications for psychiatric services as outlined in Chapter II, pages 15-16 to eliminate the ability of residents in counseling and supervisees in social work to see clients in outpatient counseling settings.