Access Institute News

San Francisco-- September 18, 2009 The school year has just begun and Access Institute has launched its second in-school therapy program at Hillcrest Elementary School in the Excelsior district of San Francisco.

At Hillcrest, using the same basic principles that succeeded at Access Institute’s first program Grattan School, the innovative project provides on-site individual therapy for the school’s most distressed students, facilitates Care Team meetings with school staff and teachers, and addresses the concerns of families by facilitating family interventions. Having mental health care available at the school removes a significant barrier for families who need the support of psychological services.

Like at Grattan all services at the school are provided free of charge.

Hillcrest school draws from the southern, underserved neighborhoods of San Francisco . Many families are immigrants, are headed by single parents, are lower-income and are coping with multiple environmental and social stresses. The school is unique due to its high level of need and its desire to build a “community school” which, according to Hillcrest Community School Coordinator, Stefanie Eldred, MSW, “is a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources where there is an integrated focus on academics and family support, health and social services, and youth and community development leads to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities.” Community partnerships like these really make a difference and Access Institute is thrilled to participate.

You can participate as well, by joining us and our community partners at Spectrum on October 18^th.

Access Institute seeks to bridge the gap

San Francisco – September 14, 2009. Amid California’s economic crisis and mental health budget cuts, independent non-profit Access Institute is bridging the gap for San Francisco’s underserved community, while providing a training ground for future community-minded therapists.

Mental illness is the leading cause of adult disability, affecting over 57 million Americans in a given year and costing the U.S. over $100 billion annually. [1] It is the most underfunded disease in health care today, due to pervasive social stigma and lack of public awareness associated with mental and emotional disorders.

· California’s $60 billion budget gap – the largest in state history – has resulted in significant cuts to mental health and social service programs, which are critically important to the current and future well being of California’s most vulnerable citizens.

· Mental health care is among one of San Francisco’s most pressing issues, and it is becoming a fast growing need for residents facing the realities of today’s economic crisis.

· While the City is known for its sizeable homeless population, many of whom suffer from acute mental disease, there is a fast-growing population of San Franciscans suffering from the impact of job loss and insufficient health insurance, who desperately need low-cost psychological care.

· These are the people Access Institute has been dedicated to serving for the past 5 years, providing a lifeline to the underserved community by bridging the public funding gap.

An already stretched “safety net” of mental health services for low-income families in San Francisco is being made worse by California ’s economic crisis, which has resulted in a $60 billion budget gap – the largest in state history. As more San Franciscans in need of mental health services fail to get the care they need due to cutbacks or elimination of publicly-funded programs, the City will face more acute hospitalizations and increased homelessness, making the care that independent non-profit organizations such as Access Institute provide even more crucial.

· In late July, California ’s leaders amended the state’s 2009-10 budget to address a swelling budget shortfall due to a deepening depression. After passing $36 billion in cuts in February, state legislators cut another $24 billion in July, taken from virtually every program that receives General Fund support.

1. $64 million eliminating state support for the Mental Health Managed Care program. This program supports county provided in- and outpatient mental health services not covered by physical health care providers or by Medi-Cal fee-for-service providers.

2. $28 million reduction in the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment program, funded by counties using Mental health Services Act funds, and an additional $15.8 million in reductions for prior-year claims.

3. $52 million in deferred payments for mental health services to students with serious mental and emotional disorders enrolled in special education.

4. $4.1 million reduction in Caregiver Resource Center funding for services and support to families and caregivers of cognitively impaired individuals.

· Local impact: The 2009-10 state budget cutbacks result in $36.4 million in direct cuts to San Francisco – nearly all in health and human services, which includes $3 million to the City’s mental health and substance abuse funds.[3]

Access Institute expects the fallout from California’s slashed mental healthcare services and further rises in unemployment during a prolonged economic downturn will result in a continued rise in demand for services.

· California’s unemployment rate has climbed from 7.1 percent to 11.6 percent over the last year.

· More than one out of three people in California under the age of 65 went without health insurance for all or part of the two-year period 2007-2008. 80% of uninsured Californian’s are members of working families.[4]

· About 37% of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have mental health problems, a nearly 50% increase from the last time the prevalence was calculated, according to a new study analyzing national Department of Veterans Affairs data. [5]

Access Institute's innovative approach to mental health services

Founded in 2002, Access Institute for Psychological Services is an integral part of San Francisco's health services safety net. The organization is an independent non-profit funded by individuals and foundations who think that psychological services should be available to everyone. Some of Access Institute's accomplishments include:

· One of the only organizations in the City providing high quality, comprehensive, long-term outpatient psychological care to low-income, culturally diverse San Franciscans.

· Delivers affordable psychological services, serving as a mental health safety net for individuals and families who fall in the gap between those eligible for publicly-funded mental health programs and those with adequate insurance or financial means to afford high quality, potentially longer-term treatment.

· Meets our community’s need for comprehensive psychological care while providing clinical training and supervision to clinicians seeking licensure in a mental health discipline.

· Provides over 8,000 hours of therapy, medication and psychological services per year. Access Institute doubled its capacity in the last five years and has expanded services to include partnerships with community organizations supporting at risk youth and seniors.

Contacts:

[1] NAMI 2007 Fact Sheet

[2] California’s Full Budget Summary, July 2009

[3] Beyond Chron, “State Budget Cuts Leave San Francisco with Choices, “8/6/09.

[4] The Uninsured: A Closer Look, Families USA, March 2009

[5] National Alliance for the Mentally Ill