Thousands of health care workers could be without jobs

Raleigh, N.C. — As many as 25,000 health care workers in the mental health and substance abuse field could be out of a job under new state requirements to help reel in health care costs with better oversight and more accountability.

Ultimately, that could lead to anywhere from 40,000 to 50,000 patients going without the required care they need, says John Tote, executive director of the Mental Health Association in North Carolina.

Among the new requirements is for all providers to have employed a medical director, clinical director and quality management and training director, as well as staff training and national accreditation.

Tote says the new system will push out the small provider who might not be able to afford implementing the changes. It will also leave larger providers who offer an array of services to care for more patients.

"Bigger does not necessarily mean better," he said.

He says that although he supports more oversight of health care, there needs more time and a better transition plan.

"To do this in a month or two is unbelievably fast for a fragile system already," Tote said.

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" ...Among the new requirements is for all providers to have employed a medical director, clinical director and quality management and training director ..." Adding more layers of bureaucracy - how efficient - while the real providers get laid off and fired.

bopeace1999
December 10, 2009 6:08 p.m.

So then where will those who need this service be?

On the streets and a threat to someone?

God bless.

RB

Spirit Warrior Woman - Rev. RB
December 10, 2009 4:49 p.m.

From the article: Among the new requirements is for all providers to have employed a medical director, clinical director and quality management and training director, as well as staff training and national accreditation. What was happening was political cronies were hiring unskilled, untrained friends at $20/hour to render mental health and substance abuse counseling, and charging the state $100 per hour for those services. This was exposed several years ago, and this is an attempt to stop the crony capitalism so rampant in our state government. The assertion that 25,000 people are employed to counsel 40-50,000 people should alert you to the fraud.

Dirty_Water
December 10, 2009 2:44 p.m.

This just makes me sad. What I fear is the children whose parents cant afford the larger clinics will not seek out alternative treatment methods for their children. There are many smaller clinics/organizations that abide by the regulations (my sister works for one) where they have a minimal staff. But the paraprofessionals there are so passionate about their jobs and the people for whom they work, I cant imagine someone like that being put out of a job so that the larger organizations can hire a "clinic director."

djcgriffin
December 10, 2009 2:10 p.m.

"Among the new requirements is for all providers to have employed a medical director, clinical director and quality management and training director, as well as staff training and national accreditation."

So what seems to be the problem? Are there actual "companies" taking the state's money and "providing" care to needy individuals without medical oversight and trained employees?

Sounds like a good idea to me. Don't we want our money to be used to actually help these people... as opposed to fly-by-night organizations just taking our money and providing inferior services?

artist
December 10, 2009 1:57 p.m.