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Show Unfair comparisons made, says mental health official Parrefl Peck, assistant dir-of dir-of Four Corners Mental zX said this week he feels i( district Human Services Ijriory Council has drawn as faulty conclusions about i agency's program and sift. Th3e conceding that Em- ery County had not received mental health services commensurate com-mensurate with population and county funding. Peck stated that the area "was without services since August only, a gap of about 6 weeks." He said Green River is now being served weekly by a staff person out of Moab. Plans are being explored to replace a mental health specialist position pos-ition in San Juan County which has been moved to Emery County, he said. In addition, a person is being hired to fill the Emery County spot which was left vacant in August, and this Is expected to be accomplished in the near future. When it is Emery will have two mental health specialists. Comparison of third party pay in the budgets of mental health and public health are also unfair, said Peck. The Human Services Council had observed that while the mental men-tal health program shows 9.8 per cent of its budget received through third party pay, public pub-lic health accounts for 48 per cent through this source in this year's budget. "The two are not comparable," compar-able," said Peck. He pointed out that the third party funds shown by the health department depart-ment budget are accounted for by contracts the department depart-ment has made with the state and with private agencies, such as the United Mine Workers of America, as well as Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance carriers. |