Mental Health Association bouncing back from funding cuts

DEWITT - A 50-percent funding cut in late 2004 and early 2005 forced the Mental Health Association of Onondaga County, Inc. (MHA) to restructure, says Stephen Butler, executive director.

The state and the United Way together cut more than $110,000, and the MHA needed to evaluate the programs

As part of the new plan, the MHA revamped its mission statement, cut two programs, and hired an additional fulltime employee.

The MHA's new mission statement says it will: "... promote mental health through advocacy, education, and access to services," replacing the previous mission statement's focus on promoting mindibody health in the community.

MHA, which was founded in 1962, answers more than 3,000 calls per year for mental-health assistance and referrals per year, Butler says. MHA also offers online education and support and education groups - for free and for cost. The Web site (www.mha-oc.org) gets about 1,200 hits per week, Butler says. About 500 people attend the groups per year, he adds.

"The mission statement provides a clear tool as to the role and purpose [of the MHA] to Onondaga County residents," Butler says.

When evaluating MHA's programs to ensure they fit into the new mission, MHA brought in two facilitators from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs to help evaluate them.

As a result, Parents Anonymous and an eating-disorder support group were cut. Since the MHA serves all of Onondaga County, the two groups couldn't be justified because they each served about six people per week at the cost of $8,000 per year per group, Butler says. He adds that there are other parenting groups and eatingdisorder groups in Onondaga County, so other options are available.

A full-time program manager was recently hired to oversee and develop support groups that adhere to the new mission statement. The program manager will eventually hire more staff, Butler says. During the next five years, Butler says he wants to hire two more fulltime employees.

The MHA, which is located at 6493 Ridings Road in DeWitt, is funded by government contracts for services, fundraising from companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb, memberships, donors, and program fees, he says. Its annual budget is $330,000.

Since the funding cut, about 50 percent of the lost funds have been recovered through county funding and special events, Butler says.