After weathering the storm known as the COVID-19 pandemic, the director of Mental Health & Community Services for Genesee County is placing a high priority on ending the locum method of providing psychiatric services to those in need.
Lynda Battaglia, speaking at today’s Genesee County Legislature Human Services Committee at the Old County Courthouse, said that in a perfect world, the county would have its own psychiatrist on the payroll.
“Ultimately, having a full-time psychiatry position instead of a locum (would be best),” Battaglia said. “We would have to find the money.”
A locum is defined as someone who fulfills the duties of another when absent or, as in the case of Genesee County Mental Health, when the agency is short-staffed.
Battaglia, during her yearly department review, reported that she can see both sides of an argument for and against a full-time psychiatrist, but finds more benefits than drawbacks.
“One benefit is continuum of care,” she said, noting that having the same doctor on site provides for consistent and continual treatment. “Whether it’s telehealth (remote), in person or a combination, having the same doctor five days a week (makes a difference).”
Her office, which consists of 65 employees, including 40 clinical staff, has used locum services to assist with psychiatric care.
She said the “pros” are working with an agency “that has been essential in making sure we are satisfied with our services” while the “cons” include the fact that sometimes the doctor is not a good fit, which forces a change and makes it more difficult for clients.
“We are on our third locum now,” she said. “Ideally, we should hire a full-time psychiatrist as a county employee to allow for stability within the agency and for the clients. This will be a goal for the upcoming year.”
When asked if other nearby counties had a full-time psychiatrist, she said some do and some mirror Genesee’s approach. She wasn’t sure about the annual salary, but speculated that it would exceed $100,000 with benefits.
Battaglia said the issue has been brought up to the Mental Health Community Services Board but has yet to be formally presented.
On other fronts, Battaglia reported the following:
- Clinical caseloads have reached 90 to 100 per therapist, an all-time high, but this is consistent with other counties in the state,” she said. Employees monitor their clients’ needs on a regular basis and close out cases as appropriate. “We are meeting the demand; however, this kind of pace leads to burnout,” she said. As of the end of March, the department was serving more than 1,700 clients – with a recent increase of almost 100 per month.
- Genesee County Mental Health is planning to open satellite offices at Oakfield-Alabama and Le Roy schools, bringing the total of schools to four and “more are in the works,” she said.
- The department will continue its collaboration with all Genesee County police agencies, with goals of creating a law enforcement mental health referral system, to provide additional training and to apply for a mobile access program (utilizing an iPad for mental health crisis response with police on site).
- For 2021, the department has reached 40 percent of its budgeted goal of 18,250 units of service, about 7 percent more than anticipated at this time of the year. She also reported that the state has restored $70,859 in funding to the department that originally was withheld in 2020 due to projections stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.
- Calling the past year as one of “unchartered waters which created feelings of anxiety, fear and worry,” she thanked her staff for pushing through to deliver services without any stoppage. “We were not immune to the anxiety and fears that the pandemic produced, but knowing the essential service we provided, we became resilient, creative and embraced the telehealth wave which kept us connected,” she said. She singled out Lynnell Schreiber, recently hired as an administrative officer, for helping to keep the department on track.
