Action | Mental Health Skill-building Services |
Stage | Final |
Comment Period | Ended on 7/27/2016 |
I feel the proposed daily cap of 3 hour, 2 unit sessions is not in the best interest of our clients. We serve SMI clients that often struggle from heightened symptoms and lack adequate resources. Many come into services without providers and we attempt to connect them to the appropriate providers, however, in the rural area we serve there are limited providers within an hour radius. In order for us to provide the best possible care, we sometimes require 5 hour, 3 unit sessions in order to accompany them and provide access to these providers. Many of our clients have had bad experiences relying on Medicaid transportation, therefore they decline to continue to utilize those services. Some have lost providers due to unreliable Medicaid transportation that does not get them to their appointments on time, or at all. Forcing clients to depend on such unreliable transportation can easily heighten symptoms. This also limits the skills building and support we can provide during appointments by facilitating open and honest communication with providers if we are not able to be present for sessions with out-of-town providers. Ultimately, the daily cap will be detrimental to the clients we serve.