Mental Health Program Debate

* Re “Lacey Has ‘No Regrets’ Over Merger Debacle, Aug. 15.

I was both amazed and dismayed to learn that Supervisor Susan Lacey has “no regrets” over the mental health merger debacle. As one of the five elected supervisors, she has been granted a sacred trust to ensure the fiduciary responsibility for our county government and its diverse services. As a taxpayer, I can think of 15 million reasons why that trust has been egregiously violated.

Your article pointed out that despite having been warned by the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration that the new structure violated Medicare billing rules, our Board of Supervisors went ahead with this ill-conceived plan. This brazen disregard for Medicare regulations caused HCFA to audit the mental health system and uncover nine years of fraudulent billing practices. Two years earlier, department employees sent memos that indicated that billing was not being done properly. Why did the Health Care Agency let this go so far?

What I fear most is that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg. In that same article, we learn that HCFA has tentatively ruled that 34 county health clinics failed to qualify under the Medicare regulations. The highly acclaimed privatization of the Ventura County clinic system appears to be out of control, and we can only wonder and worry as to how many millions of dollars we will have to pay for the next health care disaster.

It would appear from the revelations that have been uncovered to date, that we have a Ventura County Health Care Agency that needs help. Four years ago, I personally contacted each of the supervisors and begged that an outside independent agency be contracted to come in and assess the health care needs of our county, taking into account the resources that we have available. The current shameful disregard for the law by the Health Care Agency illustrated the need for a long-range plan for the proper use of our medical resources.

JOHN D. BROMS, M.D.

Ventura

* Re “Politics, Not Statesmanship or Service, Guides Mental Health Wrangling,” Ventura County Perspective, Aug. 22.

I was amazed to read in Susan Vinson’s diatribe against me that I am such a powerful legislator that I can block funding for Ventura County mental health programs even if Ventura County complies with state law and restores the county’s Systems of Care program. It’s a flattering thought but simply not true.

The legislation Ms. Vinson refers to is authored by Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), who is seeking additional funding for mental health programs. Assemblyman Steinberg and others are well aware of Ventura County’s current chaos and needed no assistance from me to consider awarding new funding to other counties.

Ventura County has been receiving $4 million annually for the adult Systems of Care program it contracted to provide beginning in 1989. This funding is in addition to the base mental health funds that Ventura County receives, and it was given for a very specific purpose and upon a very specific commitment from the county. To continue receiving this money, Ventura County must meet its commitment.

The state Department of Mental Health, which admittedly has been somewhat lax in its oversight, is now monitoring the county’s progress. My opinions on the matter are irrelevant at this point. It is simply a matter of whether or not Ventura County restores its Systems of Care to meet statutory requirements. If it does, the county will receive the money. If it does not, it will not receive the money. Not rocket science, but easily overlooked in Ventura County’s current emotional climate.

Regarding Ms. Vinson’s other fanciful comments about my state of mind and supposed lack of concern for the mentally ill, nothing could be further from the truth. The same applies to her misstatement of my positions on Ventura’s Adult Systems of Care and other related issues.

I am sure that I join with other county citizens in hoping that Ventura County can get its act together and get with the program.

STATE SEN. CATHIE

WRIGHT

R-Simi Valley