D.C. MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES CALLED ON VERGE OF DISASTER

The District's mental health programs are in a shambles because of severe budget and staffing shortages that are blocking court-ordered efforts to deinstitutionalize the mentally ill, a watchdog group that monitors mental health services in the city charged yesterday.

"I would say that the mental health system is on the brink of disaster," said Elizabeth Jones, coordinator of the Dixon Implementation Monitoring Committee.

Jones' group was appointed to oversee the city's compliance with a 1980 court-ratified agreement to establish a community-based mental health system for the 6,000 to 8,000 mentally ill people in the District who rely on public services.

In a related development, Mitch Snyder, head of the Community for Creative Non-Violence, charged at a news conference that the city's mental health system "is collapsing" because of the staffing and money problems.

He said the group's shelter for the homeless at 425 Second St. NW is becoming "de facto the largest mental health provider for the city, and that's insane."

One-third of the 1,100 men at his shelter and 80 percent of the 130 women have a mental disability, Snyder said, adding that the shelter has felt more of an impact since October when St. Elizabeths Hospital was turned over to the District by the federal government.

Robert Keisling, medical director of Adult Services, a division of the Mental Health Commission, acknowledged that the system is facing difficulties but said the criticisms are overstated.

"I wouldn't agree that the system is collapsing, but if we don't get back on track pretty soon, we're going to have some very serious problems," Keisling said.

Jones, whose group in December warned of mounting problems with the community mental health system, said one of the most serious problems is a staffing shortage that has resulted in more than 800 job vacancies, including some psychiatric and nursing positions, since March when a hiring freeze was imposed by the city.

She added that some staff members have not been paid for several months.

The Dixon committee had scheduled an afternoon meeting yesterday with Mayor Marion Barry to discuss its concerns, but the meeting was canceled.

Jones said attorneys for her group will meet this morning to discuss their next move, adding that they are considering asking the judge who has presided over the court case to appoint a special master to oversee the city's mental services programs.

Commissioner of Mental Health Services Robert A. Washington said the meeting was canceled "to give the city more time to determine what it will do about the budgetary problem."

"It would not be helpful for the mental health system to be involved in a court action once again," he said. "From a public relations point of view, it would not be useful."

The commission is part of the Department of Human Services, which in the past has been troubled by contracting scandals and complaints of program inefficiencies. On April 29, Barry fired human services Director M. Jerome Woods after Woods authorized the use of city funds to pay the rent for an apartment he shared with a top aide.

The human services agency is suffering from purchasing delays that have been linked to a projected budget deficit for this year of $43 million, officials said.

Keisling said that so far this fiscal year, only about $61 million of the $142 million allocated for the commission has been spent.

He said he does not know if the remaining money is still available or why there is a freeze on expenditures on equipment and other supplies. He said his agency has had no trouble getting money to pay for emergency supplies such as medicine.

Keisling said the hiring freeze has affected the staff-patient ratio at outpatient clinics, which is now one caseworker for 70 patients. He said the acceptable ratio is one caseworker to 40 patients.

Keisling confirmed that some staff members whose contracts expired Oct. 1 and have not been renewed have experienced delays of up to three months in getting paid.

Staff writer Michael Abramowitz contributed to this report.

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