Child & Family Center Makes Staff Changes In Response To State Cuts

Posted by: KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 in Santa Clarita News February 13, 2013 - 9:41 am 0 178 Views

In an effort to continue providing mental health support to local families in the face of county and state cuts, the Child & Family Center is making some changes.

State and county government agencies have been steadily taking cost saving measures during the last 12 months in order to keep mental health services available to the public. These have included more restricted reimbursement procedures, modified treatment modalities, which have higher costs to the mental healthcare providers and actual cutbacks.

Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking Santa Clarita news alerts delivered right to your inbox.

For many months, Child & Family Center has met the challenges and maintained services; but in order to keep the organization healthy during the current economic era, it has now had to restructure and consolidate staffing, resulting in some layoffs. The agency remains strong as a result of these and other sound fiscal decisions.

Hoping to remain a safety net for the community, Child & Family Center has strengthened its relationship with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (a grassroots organization that provides families with free mental health education, advocacy and support), become a licensed provider of Mental Health First Aid and instituted a Speaker’s Bureau to increase awareness and remove the stigma of mental illness.

The Guardians of Hope, a network of businesses and individuals who support the Child & Family Center annually, will continue to provide direct support. In addition, community events such as the Santa Clarita Century and Family Fun Bicycle Ride on March 30 and Child & Family Center’s Taste of the Town on May 5 will become increasingly important in supporting families with mental health needs.

To learn more about the Child & Family Center and the Guardians of Hope, click here.

For more information about the National Alliance on Mental Illness and recent budget cuts, click here.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, Or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com