Feeling the effects of the state's growing mental health crisis, Omni House - a provider of services to Anne Arundel County's poor mentally ill for 20 years - is struggling to remain open after closing two of its clinics.
The Glen Burnie facility joins the list of community-based mental health providers across the state that are trying to cope with lack of funding and administrative problems in the state's public mental health system.
Financial pressures forced Omni House to close its mental health clinic for children and adolescents two months ago, as well as its substance abuse clinic. Together, the clinics served more than 240 patients, and each program was losing about $10,000 a month, agency officials said.
Omni House also laid off about 10 employees, including child psychiatrists and social workers.
"The system at the moment is in crisis, and the crisis is statewide," said Herbert S. Cromwell, executive director of the Community Behavioral Health Association, which represents community mental health programs in Maryland. "Every clinic we've surveyed is losing money, and they're real essential community support systems for people."
Lois Miller, founder and chief executive officer of Omni House, said that despite the setbacks, the facility will continue its other programs, which include an outpatient mental health clinic and psychiatric rehabilitation services. She estimated the agency's losses at $200,000 over the past several months.
"We didn't do it without a lot of thought, but if you're taking a loss of $10,000 a month, you can't absorb it," Miller said of the clinics.
State lawmakers and mental hygiene officials are working to avoid widespread clinic closings as the mental health system faces a $21 million deficit.
Four clinics closed in Montgomery County last year, and the Corner Clinic closed two of its mental health facilities in Anne Arundel County in 2000.
"So many people are demanding services, and they're eligible for services," said Frank Sullivan, executive director of the Anne Arundel's mental health agency. "The question is, where is funding going to come from if the growth rate continues?"
Omni House transferred some of the affected patients into its other programs, and the rest were referred to county mental health providers for treatment, which generally includes therapy and medication management.
