It's hit home

[Babs]

I've worked two nights from 8 pm to 9:30 am , but I got off today at 7:00am, after my supervisor called to tell me that Moccasin Bend had to cut the budget by 2 million dollars. You would think that was my salary. I'm part of the cuts. After I get the official letter, we go to HR to discuss my options. Not sure what that means. I would guess retirement plans or the usual whatnot. I would miss that place. Felix is on SSI and I don't know what I have. I have some stocks still in place that may do the house payments. I'm not crazy yet because I'm still so tired, but I think things will be ok. One of the nurses coming in this morning asked if I still had a job there, so it's leaking out. I told him no. I think I'll be there until Novenber. They are letting 20 to 30 techs go. We don't have enough now. I don't know why the mental health advocates are sitting silent Their family members will be sent to Nashville or Knoxville now. More money will be put into the local Mental health centers. Maybe they can be a band aid. Most of them will end up in jail temporary, then on the streets with no treatment, aftercare, or meds.

[spastikcomma]

Oh that's terrible! It sounds like they're making a huge mistake cutting that many people. I hope it works out ok for you.

If it doesn't and you go completely crazy, I hope they let you in for free.

[HonorH957]

Sorry to hear this Babs!! Hope everything works out for you.

[Justin Thyme]

Babs, I hate to hear this. One thing I can tell you about unemployment, if you can avoid stressing out about the lack of income it can be a time to refresh and renew yourself.

[gridbug]

Sorry to hear that Babs. You're not alone in this economy. By now I'd expect the person that is not looking for work or close to someone that is looking is the exception. It's rough everywhere. But hang on, try to get by, and remember things have to get better (hopefully sooner, not later)

[Kordax]

Babs, hate to hear this news for your sake & for the sake of the community given that additional numbers of mentalty ill walkabouts will be dumped on the streets if I read your post correctly.

Using a police description where a few criminals account for the majority of the reported crimes, what will a few more mentally ill people mean for the community if they're dumped back on the public? More property / crimes against persons crimes? Inability to lock them up due to a prior mental illness diagnosis? More core city-downtown / neighborhood blight caused by them?

[Babs]

We're losing 25 beds out of 225. Usually, we're at max. The jail people are cringing at the thought of what's coming. It's not fair to them nor the mentally ill. Neither are equipped to handle this.

[gridbug]

what will a few more mentally ill people mean for the community if they're dumped back on the public? More property / crimes against persons crimes? Inability to lock them up due to a prior mental illness diagnosis? More core city-downtown / neighborhood blight caused by them?

Incarceration is costly, but at least when you see the consequences of this cost cutting you can smile that your taxes aren't going to find three hots & a cot for these people

Don't want to pay more taxes? It's going to cost us services like this.

Sorry Babs. Cuts in services mean cuts in jobs...

[daworm]

Don't want to pay more taxes? It's going to cost us services like this.

Yeah, they always cut the needed services, while the unneeded ones get increases. I can think of a lot of places where we could cut hundreds if not thousands of beds and save millions upon millions of dollars. But no, instead of letting the able-bodied fend for themselves, we instead let the mentally disturbed do so. Must be because the mentally ill don't vote.

[Jay]

I'm sorry to hear that Babs I hope everything works out okay for you.

[bignana]

Sorry to hear this. Just hang in there and try to keep the faith.

[Babs]

I talked to my supervisor today. She said that my job classification had been eliminated, but she didn't know if it effected me or when it would take place.

[el Gusano]

They need the money so they can give Scales a raise to keep him around to continue making the school system more efficient and better.

[augie47]

sorry Babs. Foolish people.
at least you can put your training to use monitoring felix

I have to agree with Gus. It's ironic that your thread appears next to one showing what appears to be overspending in our local government & school system.
Missy's $103,000 sure would be better spent on keeping folks with your qualifications on the job.

[el Gusano]

Jul 27, 2009 16:56:51 GMT -5 augie47 said:

at least you can put your training to use monitoring felix

I'm not sure ANYONE's qualified for that! I think we all just hang on and hope for the best...

[RuneDeer]

Babs, that sucks. I hope things turn around across the board and a new, better opportunity opens up for you. Maybe just in time for Christmas?

[ohwell]

Sorry, really sorry. I am only working part time with no health insurance and a strong case of asthma. But, that is not my point. Why is Charles Manson still alive at the cost of $65,000 a year when we can't afford to educate a child and honest, hard working people are losing their jobs? Chin up, things will get worse. Maybe our president will call this STUPID.

[frosty]

Sorry to hear about that Babs.

[Babs]

Maybe I can get a new job classification. I might have to make less money, but I could stay here and get the benefits. I think the notification letters go out Thursday.

[Police Moderator]

Sorry to hear this, Babs.

It is ignorant to cut Mental Health services and expect the LE/Corrections side to pick things up. LE/Corrections are not equipped or trained to deal with the underlying causes, only with the manifestations.

WTF is the Governor thinking? This is a truck crash (Not an accident!) fixing to happen.

[gridbug]

Sssshhh PM - the Gov may think there are too many cops next...

[Felix]

Yes, Grid, cops, like mental health workers, are "Societal Janitors," in the words of Shot! [ Saint ]. Everybody acknowledges that somebody has to gather up the debris of society and tidy our world, but that doesn't mean cost cuts will not hit them early and often.

I am hardly a disinterested party to this discussion, my Beloved Babs being affected, but there are some other considerations on the truth of "cost cuts."

More of the mentally ill will be on the street. Funding for crisis centers and group homes is no more flush than for the regional hospitals; the additional ten million dollars (State-wide) mentioned in the governor’s plan to help community centers will not likely cover the most severely damaged mentally ill. The default option for mentally ill people whose behavior makes them unlikely to find other resources is to end up in jail. The same taxpayer pockets which supply the state hospitals also fund the jails, and the personnel who staff them, as well as the officers who must leave patrol to transport the mentally ill to jail.

The monetary costs are traded; other costs accrue from the loss of police presence on the streets where criminals will find more opportunities. The mentally ill who find themselves on the street will deteriorate both in mental and physical health, driving up medicaid costs. The ripple effect of cuts in mental health funding further corrodes the structure of society. If the sight of homeless sleeping in parks and in doorways offends you, prepare for more of the same.

Times are hard, and I know we must all make hard choices. Perhaps the chronically mentally ill can cut back 25% on their psychotic breaks; it's the right thing to do.*

*preceding comment heavily ironic, for those in doubt.

[Deleted]

Oh come on, it's not that big a problem. Chattanooga can pass a law to ban the mentally ill^* from parks.



* and roofers.

[joedog]

Jul 29, 2009 3:46:43 GMT -5 Police Moderator said:

WTF is the Governor thinking? This is a truck crash (Not an accident!) fixing to happen.

Truck crash hell.... Train crash with a full load of haz-mat and explosives.

[MSwafford]

Sorry Babs. I think there are other areas they could have cut from instead of yours.

[coffeeshooter]

Jul 27, 2009 8:11:23 GMT -5 Justin Thyme said:

Babs, I hate to hear this. One thing I can tell you about unemployment, if you can avoid stressing out about the lack of income it can be a time to refresh and renew yourself.

Wise words.

[Tookie]

Sorry to hear you're having to deal with this now, Babs. Hopefully, you'll hear some good news Thursday. Are you vested with the state yet?

[Babs]

Yes, I'm vested, for whatever that's worth!

[el Gusano]

The more I think about it, the more baffled I become. (Well, not really; I understand politicians.)

They have the responsibility to protect the individual rights of the general population.

Mental health does that.

Instead, they spend money on junk they have no business supporting and cut the the things they have the responsibility to do.

[gridbug]

Maybe if they cut mental health funding they can get away with doing crazy things?