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From: <br />Sent: <br />To: <br /> <br />Subject: <br /> <br />Importance: <br /> <br /> 84.01 Tax <br /> <br />Cabarms <br />Rowan <br />Stanly <br />Union <br /> <br />Dan Coughlin [DCoughlin@pamh.com] <br />Monday, June 04, 2001 3:37 PM <br />Ame Fennel (E-mail); Arnold S. Chamberlain (E-mail); Charles Mashburn; Clayton <br />Loflin (E-mail); Coy Privette (E-mail); Frank Clifton (E-mail); Gene Mclntyre (E-mail); <br />Gerald Efird (E-mail); Henry Lord (E-mail); Michael L. Coble (E-mail); Pattie <br />Huneycutt (E-mail); Richard Suggs (E-mail); Robert M. Freeman (E-mail); Robert W. <br />"Bob" Carruth (E-mail); Tim Russell (E-mail) <br />FW: Tax Resolution <br /> <br />High <br /> <br />County Managers & Boards of Commissioners: <br /> <br />In broad strokes, the state has kept funding for Mental Health (MH), Developmental Disabilities <br />(DD), & Substance Abuse (SA) services flat for a decade; no inflation, no cost of living. In other <br />words our resoumes have shrunk as our population has been exploding. <br /> <br />Now with the budget deficit, the Senate has considered closing Dix Hospital, 2 MR sites, 2 <br />programs for the deaf and reduction in local Area Program budgets. <br /> <br />These proposals have generated a ground-swell of opposition across the state and one <br />response has been a growing interest in the legislature to develop revenue for MH/DD/SA <br />through a dedicated tax on alcohol. We at Piedmont and advocates across the state support this <br />approach because: <br /> <br />· The MH/DD/SDA system is significantly under funded (-i'his was <br />confirmed in the 2000 Auditor's Report on the MH/DD/SA system and <br />reaffirmed by the Legislative Oversight Committee on the Reform of <br />the NC MH/DD/SA system) <br /> <br />· the SA system is particularly under funded <br />· Substance Abuse is not unilateral in nature; as many as 40-50 % of <br />our Mental Health admissions (i.e. in addition to our Substance Abuse <br />admissions) have a collateral substance abuse diagnosis <br /> <br />· as many as 80% of our presenting emergencies have a substance abuse component <br />· as many as 30 % of all general medical issues are connected to substance abuse <br /> <br />Below is a template resolution that would be very helpful in supporting your local MH/DD/SA <br />services. An adequately funded MH/DD/SA system will help avoid efforts to cost shift to counties <br />in the future. <br /> <br />If you have any questions, please call. <br /> <br />Please let me know if you do decide to write a resolution; I will make good use of a copy. <br />Thanks in advance for your thoughtful consideration. <br /> <br />Dan Coughlin, Area Director <br />Piedmont Behavioral Healthcare <br />(Area Program) <br /> <br />B. Carruth <br />A. Fennel <br />R. Freeman <br />C. Privette <br />R. Suggs <br /> <br /> <br />