The Valley’s largest provider of mental health services wants to merge with a similar outfit located in Branford.
The board of directors for the Birmingham Group Health Services — which provides mental health, addiction, and domestic violence services in the Valley — announced plans last week to merge with Harbor Health Services, based in Branford.
The two agencies want to merge so they can get more grants and expand their services, according to Marilyn Cormack, Birmingham’s president.
The two agencies have similar services, but some different options for clients.
Under the merger, Valley residents would be able to access group home services in Branford. Likewise, Branford-area clients would be able to access the substance abuse and domestic violence services offered by Birmingham, according to Emily Gangi, Harbor Health’s director of public relations and development.
Most of the changes will be behind the scenes, and will not displace current services, according to Cormack.
For example, some functions, such as IT services, would be consolidated.
And instead of two boards of directors, the two agencies will have one board of directors. Cormack said there would be no layoffs in the process.
“It helps position us,” Cormack said. “The stronger we are, the more services we can provide.”
The changes are not set in stone. But last week the boards at both agencies approved an “intent to merge.” A final vote on the proposal is scheduled for October. If approved, the two organizations would start working as one in January 2012.
Gangi said when the merger takes place the new agency will have a different name, but it hasn’t been picked yet.
“We’re both financially strong now, and together we will really have a strong organization,” Cormack said. “And we’ll be able to provide more access to the clients. We’ll be able to increase the services we provide.”
Birmingham Group Health Services, Inc. has 180 employees and serves Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour and Shelton. Founded in Ansonia in 1979 as the Lower Naugatuck Valley Mental Health Center, the organization has expanded from providing solely mental health care services to offering substance abuse treatment and prevention, and domestic violence services as well.
Harbor Health Services, Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation with 102 employees Founded in 1980 Harbor Health serves Branford, East Haven, Guilford, Madison, North Branford and North Haven.
Cormack said that the proposed merger had nothing to do with impending budget cuts.
Birmingham On The State Budget
Although a last minute deal with the state’s labor unions may stop the axe from falling, Gov. Malloy’s office is moving ahead with plans to cut $700 million dollars from the state’s budget. Nearly $160 million of that, or 22.6 percent will come from social service agencies, the CT Mirror reported.
Social service agencies in the Valley are waiting to see exactly how they will be affected.
Because the Birmingham Group is not a state-operated Local Mental Health Authority, it will not see any of the layoffs.
However, Birmingham does cobble together funding from a hodgepodge of state departments, including the Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Public Health, Social Services, and Developmental Services. Cuts across these departments will surely impact clients, according to Marilyn Cormack.
“All of the people we serve are poor or working poor, and a lot of these cuts affect them directly,” Cormack said.
For example, the Department of Social Services plans to establish a $25,000 asset cap for its Low Income Adults program under Medicaid, where assets had not been counted before.
She said that while Birmingham is still trying to asses what the direct impact will be, the reduction in caseloads and services elsewhere will wash up on Birmingham’s shores.
“We’re going to do our best to maintain the safety net, but we also do have to accomodate $700 million is additional cuts,” said Gov. Dannel Malloy in Shelton last week. The Governor added that he believes the deal with the unions may be resurrected.
“That’s for the unions to decide,” Malloy said.
In the video below, Malloy talks to the Valley Indy about the state budget.
