Press Releases

Press Release - February 17 - 2004

For Immediate Release - February 17, 2004
Helen Farabee Regional MHMR Centers

Local lawmakers, legislators and regulators of the state’s mental health expenditures gathered at the Helen Farabee Regional MHMR Center’s Child & Adolescent Services facility in Wichita Falls on Friday, February 13, 2004 to listen to diverse voices in the mental health care community.   Those attending included State Representatives David Farabee and Rick Hardcastle, State Senator Craig Estes, as well as Representatives John Davis and Vicki Truitt, who serve on the House Appropriations' subcommittee on Health and Human Services.  Also attending were local law enforcement, County Judges, City Officials,  other public service providers, private mental health and mental retardation service providers, school psychologists, state hospital workers, United States Air Force personnel as well as representatives from various advocacy groups and individual citizens.

Those attending the luncheon for the Mental Health Focus Group all had the same message:  If we don’t have more funding, there are people in great crisis who might suffer.  Policy changes, increased workloads and the interconnections between agencies have made the shortage of money worrisome; the shrinking funding threatens to disrupt services.  

The lawmakers spent the day with Helen Farabee officials touring facilities, discussing the center’s operations and business practices, having lunch with the Mental Health Focus Group and ended the day with a video conference with West Texas Centers for MHMR and Hill Country Community MHMR Centers about collaborative efforts.

“We are so fortunate in our area to have such dedicated professionals who care about people in our community,” said Representative Farabee.  “When we succeed in treating people, it benefits our community as a whole; from less people in our jails to more people who work and become productive citizens.  We must continue striving to achieve these goals.”

For any further information, you may contact:

Connie Johnston, Director, Community & Consumer Support
940) 397-3370 or    johnstonc@helenfarabee.org 

or

Press Release - July 22 - 2003

For Immediate Release - July 22, 2003

Contact:

Connie Johnston, Director of Community and Consumer Support
Helen Farabee Regional MHMR Centers
940) 397-3370
940) 397-3359
johnstonc@helenfarabee.org
 

Helen Farabee Regional MHMR Centers are being hit hard by the budget cuts and directives mandated by the 78^th Legislative Session.   Roddy Atkins, Executive Director for the organization said, “We will continue to deliver services throughout our 19 county catchment area, attempting to provide for the same population, but with $1.2 million dollars less than the previous year’s budget”.

These cuts come in the form of:

·         reduced general revenue;

·         rate reductions for Medicaid and Medicaid Waiver services;

·         elimination of children’s mental health services covered by the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIPs);

·         elimination of funding for the In-Home & Family Support Program for mental health consumers and a 69% allocation reduction for consumers with mental retardation and other developmental delays.

·         restricting the use of certain funds