Medical adult day care at Harford Communit College closing, funding to go to substance abuse, mental health treatment
The AegisNov 21, 2017
One such program,
The 30-year-old program provides a place for senior citizens in
The last day for clients is
"At the end of the day it's a business decision, but it was really looking at the census and a lack of ongoing support," Burden said Monday. "It's very difficult to do because for a lot of those families there aren't a lot of other alternatives."
"With things going on in the county, particularly around chronic substance abuse, opiate abuse issues, we have an opportunity to have more impact in
Staff are already working with
"We're putting our resources into what the community is expressing are its needs," Burden said. "The community was speaking when people were not showing up and there weren't support dollars for the medical adult day care."
Once that is obtained, the agency will provide psychiatric services for children, adolescents and adults. They will be able to provide medical management to trauma victims and others who suffer from mental health issues.
"We'll be able to see a wider range of clients with various needs," Burden said. "It will allow us to do more substance abuse counseling and more administration of psychiatric medications."
The agency accepts all forms of insurance. Anyone who needs the services can call 410-669-9000 for an over-the-phone assessment. Clients will then be connected to an appropriate therapist based on their specific needs.
Burden said he hopes the additional services will be in place by January or February.
Fewer clients, less support
Over the years, the daily client census at the Medical Adult
"Maybe over the years, a host of additional choices have become available if the families have the resources," he said.
The
In addition to providing activities for clients, the adult day care provides personal care, administers medications and ensures that clients have the right diets. So cutting staff was not a viable option, he said.
"We need a certain number of people a day to make the program ... work because of a lot of regulatory requirements in terms of staffing -- aides, nursing aides, activity coordinators," Burden said. "We ... need those people to make it work."
Burden, who joined Family and Children's services a couple years ago, said he was charged with taking a closer look at the adult program and working more closely with the
The agency spent much of the last year trying to bring the program to the attention of the local government, not only for financial support but also for referral services to increase its client base, Burden said. About
"We wanted to garner more local support to ensure the program could stay and be a resource to the community," he said.
The agency was not in a position to subsidize the program in the county for six-figures without additional local support and help, Burden said.
The county Office on Aging did provide additional scholarship days at the program, but no additional ongoing funding. The agency was encouraged to apply for various grants, which it did, but only received an additional
"As an agency, we can't put those resources there every year without some local support. Everywhere else we have some local support to ensure those services are there for the families that need them," Burden said. "The local support is not there, the clients are not there. That said to us, we really should be putting our energies into things the community is showing a need for."
After learning in
About
The county provided about
The county provided technical assistance in terms of free and low-cost activities to support daily routines. It gave
"There was a pathway to viability for the adult medical day care, and we worked extensively to help them get there," Mumby said. "Adult medical day care did not solicit additional money from the county to prevent this closing."
She said it's unfortunate the program has to close.
"For families who need these services, they're very important and it can be stressful for families seeking care for their loved ones. That's why we are working to find alternative solutions and [alternative] care for these citizens through a variety of outlets," Mumby said.
*
'Benjamin's Bridge' kayak launch gives safe access to
*
*
___
(c)2017 The Aegis (Bel Air, Md.)
Visit The Aegis (Bel Air, Md.) at www.baltimoresun.com/explore/harford/publications/the-aegis
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.