What is the price tag for quality and compassion?
The problems with funding for mental and behavioral healthcare is not new to District of Columbia; but, this year, the effects are overwhelming. By the end of September, McClendon Center will experience a shortfall of over $100,000 due to the Department of Behavioral Health cutting off funding for uninsured clients. This problem appears to be system-wide at this point, threatening the notion that we — as providers — form the public safety net for District residents with serious mental illness. When it became apparent that there was a funding issue several months ago, we as a Center decided there were three basic courses of action. The first was to transfer these uninsured clients back to the Department of Behavioral Health and hope they could find an agency that was sufficiently funded. (The question then would be, why would McClendon Center — as the District’s highest-performing agency — not receive funding when a lower-performing agency had). The second course would be to serve these clients anyway and try to absorb the loss, which is substantial. The last choice would be to simply not serve them and wait for the new fiscal year to bring new revenues on October 1st.
It will come as no surprise that McClendon Center has chosen to serve these uninsured individuals and are doing so at our own expense. We can’t let them go un-served, and we refuse to transfer them to an agency that will not provide the quality services that we do. Our Board of Directors is acutely aware that this decision will likely put the Center in deficit for the fiscal year, the first time that has happened in this decade. But how could we do otherwise? What is the price tag for quality and compassion? And what exactly does the District government value in regard to serving its most vulnerable residents?
If you have considered a gift to McClendon Center but have yet to make a donation, I ask that you actively consider making a contribution to help us cover the cost of providing these services. For the rest of the summer, your financial participation in providing services to the uninsured would be very much appreciated by us all.
— Dennis Hobb, executive director
image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.nte
We kicked of Mental Health Awareness Month by earning the only five-star Provider Scorecard* rating by the DC Department of Behavioral Health for the second year in a row. We are very honored to receive this recognition and are grateful to our staff — especially our Community Support Specialists whose teamwork with their clients is reflected in our success; our doctors, nurses, and professional staff; our leaders; and our Board of Directors.
We are excited to be hosting our 2nd Annual Art of Transformation Reception and Client Art Show on May 5, 2016, at the Toolbox in Dupont Circle. We guarantee a fun evening — guests are invited to mingle, enjoy tasty bites and our signature drinks, and take in the artwork created by our clients. Closing the evening will be our raffle drawing, which includes airline tickets, wine, art supplies, and more.
2015 was truly a year of celebration, progress, and accomplishment for McClendon Center. We invite you to review this 2015 Annual Report and learn about our new client-focused programs and activities, and the impact that further reflects our dedication to providing services that best meet the needs of our clients.
Join us on May 5, 2016, at the Toolbox in Dupont Circle or a fun evening. Instead of long speeches or a formal dinner, mingle with guests, take in the artwork created by our clients, delight in tasty bites and cocktails, and take your chance in our raffle drawings.
THANK YOU, Sarah Barclay Hoffman, for your tremendous leadership and dedication to McClendon Center as Chair of our Board of Directors (2012-2015).
ribute to McClendon Center, you’re helping to provide hope and healthier lives to our more than 1,000 men and women who are living with mental illness. So often, when a client first comes to us, they have broken ties to family, have difficulties managing the symptoms of their mental illness, and/or have other health issues. McClendon Center not only provides psychiatric treatment, we also offer community support, group counseling and workgroups, and access to primary health care.
