11 TV Hill: Price range cuts may endanger lifesaving lifelines
Up to date: 11:30 AM EST Mar 2, 2025
LIFELINES FOR THOSE STRUGGLING WITH THEIR MENTAL HEALTH. YET THIS MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE CARE IS IN DANGER OF BEING CUT FROM THE STATE’S BUDGET. IN ANNAPOLIS, ORGANIZATIONS AT THE FRONT LINES OF THIS FIGHT MADE THEIR CASE TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, THEY SAID. UNLESS THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TAKES ACTION, THOSE IN CRISIS COULD BE LEFT ON THEIR OWN IN THEIR MOST VULNERABLE MOMENTS. I ENDED UP TURNING TO NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT AND THAT GENUINELY SAVED MY LIFE. WITHOUT THAT COUNSELOR BEING THERE TO TALK ME OUT OF THE CRISIS I WAS IN, AND ALSO FORWARD RESOURCES THAT WERE LOCAL TO ME TO HELP ME FIND SHELTER, TO FIND A THERAPIST, AND EVEN JUST GENERAL RESOURCES THAT I COULD USE AND UTILIZE. I PROBABLY WOULDN’T BE HERE. AND ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS DOING THE WORK IS THE ASANTE GROUP. JOINING US NOW IS THE CEO, MICHELLE GRIGSBY HACKETT. ALSO WITH US IS ALLISON PALLADINO. SHE’S DIRECTOR OF THE BALTIMORE COUNTY CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM. GOOD TO SEE YOU BOTH. THANKS FOR HAVING US. IN THE TIME THAT WE’RE IN RIGHT NOW, I THINK FOLKS ARE FACED WITH ALL KINDS OF, I GUESS, TRAUMA RIGHT NOW, WHETHER THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT POLITICS OR AT HOME OR CRIME IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. HOW ARE PEOPLE COPING RIGHT NOW? WOULD YOU SAY PEOPLE ARE DEFINITELY EXPERIENCING CONCERNS WITH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES? IT’S A STRESSFUL TIME FOR EVERYONE FOR FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF REASONS. AND THE 988 LIFELINE IS CENTERS ARE PUT IN PLACE SO THAT SOMEBODY CAN REACH OUT ANY TIME, ANYWHERE TO A TRAINED COUNSELOR TO OFFER ASSISTANCE, SUPPORTIVE COUNSELING, AND RESOURCES IF NEEDED. I FEEL LIKE IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE 988 CALL CENTERS ARE PART OF A LARGER COMMUNITY NETWORK OF PROVIDERS TO OFFER DIFFERENT LEVELS OF CARE, DEPENDING ON THE NEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUAL AFFILIATED SANTÉ GROUP. WE HAVE BEEN PROVIDING BALTIMORE COUNTY CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM SERVICES SINCE 2001, AND THEN WITH THE ROLLOUT OF THE 988, IN 22, WE ARE ALSO PART OF A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT CALLED THE CENTRAL MARYLAND CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM, WHICH IS COVERING 988 CALLS IN COLLABORATION WITH BOTH GRASS ROOTS AND SANTÉ, WHERE WE’RE COVERING A FOUR COUNTY REGION. THE ROLLOUT IN 22, I THINK, WAS REALLY IMPORTANT. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY KNOWS I NEED HELP. CALL 911. YEAH, THIS MADE IT THE 988 MORE READILY ACCESSIBLE AND EASY TO REMEMBER WITH THAT THREE DIGIT NUMBER. TELL ME ABOUT COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WILLINGNESS TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE IN 2001 OR 2000 VERSUS 2025. DO YOU FEEL THAT PEOPLE ARE MORE WILLING TO PICK UP THE PHONE AND DIAL NOW, OR AT LEAST REACH OUT TO SOMEONE? I THINK THERE IS MORE OPENNESS TO PEOPLE WANTING TO REACH OUT WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT AND THE MESSAGING THAT IT’S OKAY TO REACH OUT. IT’S OKAY THAT TO NOT BE OKAY, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO WHETHER IT’S TO A FRIEND, WHETHER IT’S TO NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT OR TO A COUNSELOR TO JUST SAY, HEY, I NEED TO TALK. YEAH, I NEED TO GET SOME SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, THAT’S HAPPENING MORE. AND AS WE’VE SEEN SINCE NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT, WE HAD 130% INCREASE IN CALLS. SO THAT. YEAH. SO THAT SHOWS YOU THAT IT’S WORKING THE MESSAGE OUT THERE THAT IT’S OKAY TO CALL SOMEBODY AND THAT THEY’LL UNDERSTAND. SURE. RIGHT. IS IT IS IT EASIER, DO YOU THINK, TO DIAL 988 VERSUS ME COMING AND SAYING, ALLISON, THERE’S SOMETHING AT HOME THAT WE GOT TO TALK ABOUT. IS THAT ANONYMITY? DOES THAT MAKE IT EASIER FOR FOLKS, DO YOU THINK? I THINK IT’S WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT IS THE QUICK ACCESS. HISTORICALLY, WE’VE HAD LIKE BALTIMORE COUNTY STILL MAINTAINS A LOCAL LINE, BUT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE THAT NUMBER AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. SO TO JUST KNOW I NEED HELP IN THIS MOMENT, YOU DON’T WANT TO SORT THROUGH NUMBERS. YOU CAN JUST DIAL NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT AND GET TO YOUR LOCAL SERVICES. SURE. SO THERE’S THEIR RESOURCES STATEWIDE. SO, YOU KNOW, REGARDLESS OF WHERE IF I’M IN CALVERT COUNTY, SAME THING WORKS THERE. ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, 988 IS 24 OVER SEVEN. SO YOUR YOUR FRIENDS MAY NOT BE UP AT 2:00 IN THE MORNING WHEN YOU’RE STRUGGLING, BUT NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN CALL 24 SEVEN. WHERE DOES BUDGETING PLAY A ROLE IN THIS? BECAUSE WE PAINT KIND OF A GRIM PICTURE COMING INTO THIS. ARE THERE FEARS THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS COULD GO AWAY? OH, THERE’S SIGNIFICANT FEARS. YOU KNOW, WE’RE FACING POTENTIALLY 116 MILLION OR MORE IN CUTS TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH IN MARYLAND. AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT FUNDING. NOW THE TELECOM FEE WAS PUT IN PLACE LAST YEAR. SO MAKING SURE THAT THAT TELECOM FEE IS ABLE TO SUPPORT THE CALL CENTER OPERATIONS ACROSS THE STATE, FUNDING FOR SERVICES LIKE URGENT CARE, MOBILE CRISIS TEAMS, OTHER SERVICES THAT PEOPLE USE WHEN THEY’RE IN NEED ARE AT RISK OF BEING CUT. SCHOOL, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. SO IT’S A WIDE IMPACT AND CAN BE DRASTIC. ARE THERE THINGS OR I GUESS I’M WONDERING WHAT SANTÉ GROUP AND OTHERS ARE DOING TO HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD IN ANNAPOLIS? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE UP TO NOW? I’M SURE IT IS. I’M LITERALLY PLANTED THERE THE LAST FEW WEEKS OF SESSION MEETING WITH LEGISLATORS, HOLDING PRESS CONFERENCES, PROVIDING TESTIMONY AT HEARINGS, REALLY GETTING THE WORD OUT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW THAT THE FUNDING NEEDS TO BE PRESERVED BECAUSE IT IS OPEN NOW AND PEOPLE ARE UTILIZING IT, AND THESE ARE STRESSFUL TIMES. THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO CUT IS THE RESOURCE, BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IS IT COSTS MORE IN THE LONG RUN, AND INCREASED UTILIZATION OF EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS. 911 ALL OF THE RESOURCES THAT ARE ALREADY BURDENED AND TAPPED NEED TO BE UTILIZED FOR WHAT THEIR SERVICES ARE, AND NOT TO HAVE TO BE UTILIZED FOR WHAT’S ALREADY IN PLACE. OKAY, ALLISON, WE HAVE A MINUTE LEFT. IF I AM SOMEONE WHO IS IN NEED OF HELP, TELL ME SOME STEPS I NEED TO TAKE IN ORDER TO FIND IT. YOU LITERALLY CAN PICK UP ANY PHONE AND DIAL 988 AND THEY WILL ROUTE YOU TO YOUR LOCAL SERVICES, WHERE A TRAINED COUNSELOR IS THERE 24 HOURS A DAY TO OFFER YOU SUPPORT, AND THEN TO DETERMINE IF YOU NEED A HIGHER LEVEL OF CARE. SOME OF THE RESOURCES THAT MICHELLE TALKED ABOUT URGENT CARE, MOBILE CRISIS TEAMS, REFERRALS TO COMMUNITY PROVIDERS, THEY’RE KIND OF ALL AT YOUR FINGERTIPS WITH THAT THRE
11 TV Hill: Price range cuts may endanger lifesaving lifelines
Up to date: 11:30 AM EST Mar 2, 2025
Advocates already sounded the alarm in Annapolis about how Maryland’s proposed finances may minimize a lifesaving lifeline as they make an effort to protect the state’s behavioral well being funding. Psychological well being and substance abuse care is in peril of being minimize from the state’s finances. Organizations on the entrance traces of this battle mentioned that except the Normal Meeting takes motion, these in crises may very well be left on their very own of their most weak moments. Michelle Grigsby Hackett, CEO of The Santé Group, and Allison Paladino, the director of the Baltimore County Disaster Response, be a part of 11 TV Hill to elucidate.
Advocates already sounded the alarm in Annapolis about how Maryland’s proposed finances may minimize a lifesaving lifeline as they make an effort to protect the state’s behavioral well being funding. Psychological well being and substance abuse care is in peril of being minimize from the state’s finances. Organizations on the entrance traces of this battle mentioned that except the Normal Meeting takes motion, these in crises may very well be left on their very own of their most weak moments. Michelle Grigsby Hackett, CEO of The Santé Group, and Allison Paladino, the director of the Baltimore County Disaster Response, be a part of 11 TV Hill to elucidate.
