Corruption in Delivery of Mental Health Services Hurts Everyone Involved
American Care News receives many suggestions for articles and other reference points. We sift through them to determine which are really noteworthy and which merit the attention of our readership. Among the most popular subjects is the frustration of service providers who accuse mental health networks of being corrupt. read more...
Some Frustrated Providers Are Willing to Fight for their Survival; but Legitimacy Not on Everyone’s Side
In Michigan and around the country specialized population homes are dealing with cuts in reimbursements for their services. These cuts run deep since many of the persons being served require supervision by a designated staff member who has special training and often need assistance with personal care since more often than not, they routinely ignore their personal hygiene.
Some of these consumers of mental health services reside in very well managed programs. These programs are operated by professionals and para-professionals who have a real commitment to quality delivery of care services. Some are in true fighting mode since cuts in their budgets have taken them by surprise and has created quite a cash crunch.
However, some must sit and complain in virtual silence as their fights lack legitimacy. Why is that?
In Today's care community We have alot of Wonderful Providers who administer the highest level of care and are under compensated. How ever, I find great delight when speaking with such a provider who truly finds Fulfillment in helping those less fortunate than others. Even though we would all love to be compensated for our true worth some persons just don't have the finances to pay for the care that they require. Yet and still it is nice to know that great care can still be acquired for less money . I just want to say kudos to the providers and keep up the good work.
Want to be a Real Nursing Home Alternative?Educate Yourself about Programs for the Medically Fragile
Many group living or assisted living programs brand themselves as a real nursing home alternative. Some websites you could visit where this moniker is prominently used are www.nannies-inn.com. Of course many others make the same claims.
Some do a wonderful job caring for residents with incontinence, memory deficit and more. Others make a concerted effort to help residents maintain agility, improved circulation and help even more of the elderly manage nutritional deficits.
American Care News has even encountered programs that specialize in services to sufferers of osteoporosis. We support community based care programs such as these and believe that care in these programs often heighten the dignity associated with care delivery and provide residents with more of a family environment with less of the institutional approach common in skilled nursing homes.
Providers of care in multiple areas of the United States have existed in an atmosphere of distrust among one another for many years. The theories about why this is the case are pretty wide ranging. In Michigan you hear rumors about corrupt mental health network executives who accept what amounts to a bribe from some providers to assure they receive referrals to keep their beds full. Some of the rumors go so far as to specifically accuse native Nigerians of making the payments and dominating the provider network as a result.
Others believe that the distrust exists mostly because of the lenient licensing standards. As an example in order to be an administrator in an adult foster care home licensed in the state of Michigan, the candidate only requires a high school diploma and one year of experience working with the population outlined in the program statement. How that experience has to be gained is rather vague. As a result some theorize that the profession attracts uneducated people, most from non-clinical and non-business backgrounds who bring a certain degree of built-in insecurity to their program management and who become incredibly protective of their income. So they refuse to share with others, skirt rules to keep a degree of isolation and what results is a state of ever permeating division, virtually eliminating the chance of provider unity.
