Supervisors Spar Over Mental Health Report

Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn lashed out at colleague Susan Lacey during a special meeting Tuesday, accusing the main architect behind the botched mental health merger of jeopardizing the county’s chances of receiving $5.4 million in state funding for special programs.

“You’re not going to force your minority attitude on the majority of the board,” Flynn told Lacey.

“I’ve been talking to the state a lot about this,” Lacey said defensively.

“They say you haven’t,” Flynn angrily retorted. “And that’s a matter of record.”

The heated exchange began after Lacey criticized a 58-page report written primarily by David Gudeman, the county’s recently appointed mental health director. The report outlines service improvements the county must make before the state will resume the funding.

But Lacey argued that the report was unnecessarily harsh toward mental health managers who preceded Gudeman, managers who were her strong allies and helped her design the ill-fated merger plan.

“I did not expect to find a document that goes back and attacks the previous administration,” Lacey said. “There’s nothing in there about healing. That doesn’t help anyone.”

Lacey suggested that the matter be tabled until supervisors could rewrite portions of the report. She said the board could return later in the afternoon to talk about the changes.

Her suggestion infuriated Flynn, who has been working closely with state Department of Mental Health officials in an attempt to restore the mental health funding.

Flynn chided Lacey for what he said was her failure to understand the seriousness of the matter. The board must submit the report or face layoffs and cuts in services within the mental health department, he said.

“I’m a little bit disgusted, madam chair,” Flynn said. “Let’s make the changes and submit it to the state and start the money flowing.”

In the end, Lacey agreed to submit the report, along with a cover letter explaining that the improvement plan was a work in progress. Supervisors approved the report in a 3-0 vote, with Supervisors Judy Mikels and Frank Schillo absent.

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For the past decade, the county has received additional money to operate special programs for the mentally ill. But the state has been withholding the money since July because officials say the system has deteriorated over the years. The county must submit a correction plan by Nov. 1 for the money to begin flowing again.

The report makes it clear that psychiatrists are now in charge of multidisciplinary teams who treat mentally ill patients. It also notes that the county hospital now has oversight of the county’s inpatient psychiatric hospital. Both conditions must be met in order for the county to receive the state money.

In addition, the report also states that clients and family members have a strong voice in advising county officials in matters pertaining to the mentally ill.

Further, it stresses the need for more countywide housing for the mentally ill and states that “there are too many mentally ill people in jail instead of in treatment or even in the hospital.”

The state funding was jeopardized after the county merged its mental health and social services departments in April 1998. Ten months later, supervisors rescinded the merger decision--with Lacey casting the sole dissenting vote--after federal officials determined that it violated their organizational rules.

The failed merger sparked several federal and state audits, one of which uncovered nearly 10 years of faulty Medicare billing practices. County officials agreed to a $15.3-million settlement in July with the federal government.

A separate audit determined that services for the mentally ill had diminished to the point that the county no longer deserved the $5.4 million it receives annually from the state in special funding.

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After the merger was dismantled, then-Behavioral Health Director Stephen Kaplan, a social worker and strong merger proponent, was forced to resign. Kaplan was replaced by Gudeman, a psychiatrist.

Flynn said he believes Lacey’s comments stemmed from her resentment of Gudeman and refusal to admit that the county’s mental health system needs an overhaul.

“Let’s face it, she’s very much opposed to Dr. Gudeman and there’s no way to change her mind about it,” Flynn said after the meeting. “I’m getting wary of her obstructionism. We can’t have that or we’ll have 200 layoffs. I know I’m coming down hard on her, but what else am I to do? She’s not a one-person show.”

After the meeting, Flynn and Gudeman traveled to Sacramento, where they hand-delivered the improvement plan to state officials.