Community-based support services for the mentally ill wasted as much as $226 million of state money and $635 million overall, one fourth of the new money spent on the program.
Carol Ripple, who did the evaluation, told a legislative committee the wasted money shows the need to plan, conduct small experiments, and evaluate programs. Piedmont Behavioral Health is the only local mental health management organization in the state that controls all funding in its region, and is the only one to avoid most of the surge in spending.
In case you are wondering, none of the bills offered by Democrats in Congress would incorporate experiments, local control, or responsiveness to changing conditions.
Mental health reform in the state illustrates how even the best intentions can lead to bad results. Now, Democrats in the state legislature have cut mental health spending as part of their bid to balance the budget. Some of the cuts they propose are unnecessary and excessive. Health care is too important to leave to the whims of state or federal legislators.
More market forces would help North Carolina’s public mental health system and the nation’s health care.
