MHMRA of Harris County - Annual Report Fiscal 2013-2014 | Page 7

the Texas Legislature appropriated an additional $312.5 million
for mental health and substance abuse services in Texas. These
new dollars would address the decade-long decline in funding
resulting in the years-long waiting lists for adult mental health
services, enhance programs for underserved populations, boost
child and adolescent mental health programs, and create new and
improved crisis programs, among other promising initiatives.
The new dollars from the 83rd Legislative Session along with
the funds from the 1115 Medicaid Waiver program provided
the soil on which to build the
promising new initiatives and
service expansions that would the Texas Legislature appropriated an additional $312.5
benefit countless Harris County million for mental health and substance abuse services in
residents. The next section Texas
previews the status of these
improvements and the milestones These new dollars would address the years-long waiting
already achieved.
lists for adult mental health services

M e n ta l H e a lt h S e r v i c e s
Waiting List for Adult Mental Health Now Zero

O

ne of the major accomplishments achieved in these
two fiscal years was the elimination of the six-year-old
waiting list for public mental health care in Harris County.
The waiting list, which grew to 1700 adults with associated
waits for services of over one year, was eliminated thanks
to new state and federal funding. Harris County residents
who qualify can now begin treatment at our Center without
having to wait.
Through the new funds appropriated during the 83rd

Texas Legislative Session and through the 1115 Medicaid
Waiver, MHMRA hired staff and expanded capacity of our
mental health outpatient clinics, including the re-opening
of a facility in the Northeast region of Harris County. More
engagement teams at the Eligibility Center are now available
to help guide patients into available mental health services.
Since the start of the Wait List project, 1500 additional
patients are now receiving services each month.

Expansion of Outpatient Service Capacity

F

rom serving 8200 clients each month, MHMRA served
an average of 9,800 per month in Fiscal Year 2014. We
are preparing to serve an average of 11,000 per month by
the end of FY 2015.
The new dollars enabled us to build out additional treatment
team capacity. A treatment team is an interdisciplinary

group of clinicians that work together to provide services
to a specified caseload of patients. Each team includes a
psychiatrist, a nurse, lead therapists, and case workers. We
now have capacity for 5 new treatment teams. Of these, 3
are fully operational, and the other 2 are now beginning to
take shape.
(Continued on the next page)

Annual Report 2013-2014 | Building Brighter Possibilities | pg. 4