Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY -- Valley Mental Health confirmed Friday it will be cutting 100 to 125 jobs effective Dec. 31. Officials say the layoffs are due to drastic cuts in funding.
Both mental health experts and those who have benefited from the organization say they're now worried about the future patients will be affected.
Jill Hollingshaus knows firsthand the difficulty of living with mental illness. She's struggled with it since she was a teenager.
"I refer to it as a Polaroid picture," she says of her recovery. "When you take the picture, it's black. And with time, it gets brighter and brighter."
Hollingshaus says the key for her was the services at Valley Mental Health. She's gone from being unable to work to holding a full-time managerial job and a position on the board of directors at Valley Mental Health.
"I'm totally off Social Security and Medicaid, paying my way through life, and even paying my taxes," she says with a laugh.
She's in the difficult position of explaining to other patients--several of whom are her employees--the upcoming changes to services.
"I feel confident that we're going to try the best we can to help people. I'm just afraid that the quality of life of some of those people will not be the same," she says.
Valley Mental Health CEO Debra Falvo says drastic cuts in funding are forcing them to reconfigure treatment delivery. They'll move from what they describe as a "facility-based" model to a "community-based" one.
It's a change Falvo says they were always planning to make, but the economy forced them to do so earlier than expected.
The 100 to 125 people who will lose their jobs as a result of the changes will find out Dec 1. The last day on their payroll will be Dec. 31.
Falvo says laying off employees was a difficult decision to make.
"They go into this business not because they want to make a lot of money, but because they feel that social mission. For me to lose one of my employees, that's hard," she says.
All patients will be getting a letter, sent to their homes, explaining the changes. Valley Mental Health officials are also offering two series of town hall meetings--one for patients, and the other for employees.
The company will also offer severance packages and meetings with Workforce Services.
Community partners, like the National Alliance on Mental Illness(NAMI) in Utah, are just learning of Valley Mental Health's layoffs. NAMI Utah's executive director, Sherri Wittwer, worries that lack of funds dedicated to mental health programs across the board nationwide will result in more mentally-ill people in hospitals and jails.
"Really, the impact is we end up spending the money but in all the wrong places," Wittwer says.
Valley Mental Health's town hall meetings scheduled for patients will be held:
Monday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m.
ARTEC South Campus
180 W. 7309 South Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 10 a.m.
Pathways to Recovery (cafeteria)
1020 S. Main Street
Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 12 noon
Administration Building (2nd floor Conference Center)
5965 S. 900 East
Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m.
North Valley (Conference Room)
1020 S. Main Street
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
