A federal judge has ordered the government of Guam to make a $2 million payment to improve mental health services within the next three weeks or potentially face being held in contempt.
After conferring with the Department of Mental Health and Social Services federal management team earlier this week, U.S. District Court Judge Consuelo Marshall issued an order yesterday requiring GovGuam to fund a plan to improve the struggling agency.
The order requires $15.9 million be transferred to the management team by May 2013, with the first payment of $2 million due by Nov. 30, 2010.
More than $11 million is due next year:
# $2 million by Jan. 3
# $1 million by Feb. 1
# $2 million by March 1
# $500,000 by April 1
# $3.2 million by May 2
# $1 million by July 1
# $500,000 by Sept. 1
# $1.5 million by Oct. 3
"The court reminds all parties and relevant non-parties that the court possesses the authority and discretion to impose a wide range of sanctions, including a finding of contempt, for failure to comply with this, or any other order," the order states.
The funding is needed so the management team of attorney James Casey and psychologist James Kiffer can move ahead with the plan to improve Mental Health, which for years failed to meet court-ordered mandates.
Marshall put Kiffer and Casey in charge of the department -- with the power to hire, fire and overrule other agency leaders -- in February, after she lost confidence that Mental Health could improve itself.
Mental Health, the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities and the governor have been under a federal court order since 2004 to improve services and facilities for people with mental and developmental disabilities. The court order followed a 2001 lawsuit filed against GovGuam for failure to provide adequate services.
According to Pacific Daily News files, some Mental Health clients have filed -- with the judge -- criticism of the federal management team, but her order highlights the team's successes.
Marshall wrote in the order that the team has enrolled about 24 clients in a beneficial housing program, which offers "community-based, integrated settings" while saving Mental Health money. The team also has hired "critical personnel" and adopted new policies and procedures that help meet standards required by court orders.
"In sum, the court finds that the (management team) has made more substantial improvements in the past seven months than the defendants were able to accomplish the many years preceding the appointment of the (management team,)" the order states.
This article is taken from- http://www.guampdn.com/article/20101111/NEWS01/11110302/Pay-2M-by-Nov-30-Mental-Health-ordered-to-make-improvements
After conferring with the Department of Mental Health and Social Services federal management team earlier this week, U.S. District Court Judge Consuelo Marshall issued an order yesterday requiring GovGuam to fund a plan to improve the struggling agency.
The order requires $15.9 million be transferred to the management team by May 2013, with the first payment of $2 million due by Nov. 30, 2010.
More than $11 million is due next year:
# $2 million by Jan. 3
# $1 million by Feb. 1
# $2 million by March 1
# $500,000 by April 1
# $3.2 million by May 2
# $1 million by July 1
# $500,000 by Sept. 1
# $1.5 million by Oct. 3
"The court reminds all parties and relevant non-parties that the court possesses the authority and discretion to impose a wide range of sanctions, including a finding of contempt, for failure to comply with this, or any other order," the order states.
The funding is needed so the management team of attorney James Casey and psychologist James Kiffer can move ahead with the plan to improve Mental Health, which for years failed to meet court-ordered mandates.
Marshall put Kiffer and Casey in charge of the department -- with the power to hire, fire and overrule other agency leaders -- in February, after she lost confidence that Mental Health could improve itself.
Mental Health, the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities and the governor have been under a federal court order since 2004 to improve services and facilities for people with mental and developmental disabilities. The court order followed a 2001 lawsuit filed against GovGuam for failure to provide adequate services.
According to Pacific Daily News files, some Mental Health clients have filed -- with the judge -- criticism of the federal management team, but her order highlights the team's successes.
Marshall wrote in the order that the team has enrolled about 24 clients in a beneficial housing program, which offers "community-based, integrated settings" while saving Mental Health money. The team also has hired "critical personnel" and adopted new policies and procedures that help meet standards required by court orders.
"In sum, the court finds that the (management team) has made more substantial improvements in the past seven months than the defendants were able to accomplish the many years preceding the appointment of the (management team,)" the order states.
This article is taken from- http://www.guampdn.com/article/20101111/NEWS01/11110302/Pay-2M-by-Nov-30-Mental-Health-ordered-to-make-improvements
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