SMI patients allegedly committed suicide because of a cut back of funding for mental health services under Magellan of Arizona.
ABC news, channel 15 recently broke a disturbing story about Magellan Health Services of Arizona – the previous Regional Behavioral Health Authority (RBHA) for all of Maricopa County. The story alleges, among other things that Magellan Health Services put mental health patients, specifically those with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) at increase risk of suicide because of a cut back in services.
According to the report:
“An industry insider who wishes to remain anonymous told ABC15 in an exclusive interview that funding was cut, services were denied and thousands of seriously mentally ill patients were put at risk in Arizona.
“It definitely makes me more worried for the community,” the insider said.
This insider has worked in mental health care in Arizona for several years. She doesn’t want us to show her face or use her name for fear of losing her job.
But, she does want you to know what she said Magellan of Arizona did to mental health care network providers, and what she called “their neglect and greed” did to the patients.
After Magellan of Arizona lost their contract to be the Regional Behavioral Health Authority (RHBA) last year, they began to cut and reduce funding to the network providers who worked under them.
“They stopped approving medications,” said the insider. “There were a lot of layoffs between different providers, and just money not going around like it should be.”
This is taxpayer money that comes directly from the Arizona Department of Health Services. The money flows from the state to Magellan, which serves as the regional provider for the Valley.
Then, Magellan funds the network providers that offer mental health care services to about 13,000 seriously mentally ill people in the Valley.
These services include housing, community and peer programs and medication.
Our insider works for one of them.
“These are the people who have struggled all their life,” said the insider. She said some are suicidal and homicidal.
“Some of them are court ordered to receive services because they are that mentally ill,” the source said.”
Source: Insider says Magellan cut funding, putting community and thousands of patients at risk http://www.abc15.com/news/local-news/investigations/insider-says-magellan-cut-funding-putting-community-and-thousands-of-patients-at-risk
The article goes on to describe a funding “tug of war” between Magellan and the mental health provider network organizations, resulting in various letters:
See related document: MCAP_Magellan_Recoupment_062813
See document: 2013-07-10 MCAP-RESPONSE-FY2012 Recoupment
Letter from State of Arizona clarke 7-12-13
The ABC15 Investigators supposedly “talked with network provider CEOs, social workers, laid-off employees and industry insiders. All confirmed Magellan significantly cut funding since last summer and asked for money back.”
This tragically resulted in an increase rate of suicide among some SMI clients whose services and treatment were cut, according to the insider (whose name was not identified because she feared losing her job.
These cuts in treatment included apparently certain type of anti psychotic medications SMI clients were prescribed at the time – but were no longer covered.
So far no one at Magellan Health Services in Arizona has been held criminally liable in the suicide deaths of any of the SMI patients involved.
We contacted Magellan who refused to discuss this situation.
We also called the Arizona Attorney General who indicated there might not be enough evidence to hold anyone criminally liable in this case if the source of the information chooses to remain “in the shadows and not come forward with the names of her clients who committed suicide as a possible result of services and treatment being cut.”
Magellan website: http://www.magellanofaz.com/