S.C. mental health department slashes jobs statewide

The South Carolina Department of Mental Health said Tuesday it is slashing 21 full-time and 29 temporary positions statewide due to $26 million in budget cuts.

Additionally, the state agency will not fill 111 open positions.

None of the full-time or temporary employees on the chopping block work for the Coastal Empire Community Mental Health Center, which serves Beaufort, Jasper, Hampton, Colleton and Allendale counties.

However, three local positions -- a child psychiatrist, a nurse and a secretary -- are currently open and will be frozen.

All agency employees, including the 92 who work at Coastal, will have to take five days off without pay.

Ray Norris, Coastal's executive director, said some staffers will begin to take the time off later this month. The effect won't be felt in their paychecks until January and will be spread out over 10 pay periods, he said.

"I think we can minimize the impact on services, but I'm more concerned about the employees right now," Norris said. "If things get tougher, we'll have to hold more positions (open). We'll do thatbefore we eliminate programs."

The statewide reduction is reducing Coastal's budget from about $7.3 million to $7.1 million.

Norris said Coastal was not targeted to reduce costs as much as other local centers because it already has fewer staffers per capita than most of the 17 community mental health centers across the state. Coastal employs about 3.7 staffers per 10,000 residents. The average is about 5.25 per 10,000 throughout South Carolina, Norris said.

The state department is closing or eliminating six regional centers and is getting rid of 75 beds at mental health and drug treatment facilities statewide. The agency also has stopped nonessential travel and is severely limiting purchases of new equipment or vehicles.

Mark Binkley of the S.C. Department of Mental Health said more cuts are likely. Those cuts could affect prevention programs for at-risk youth in 449 schools statewide.

"What we've been trying to do is preserve emergency services," he said.

"Unfortunately, something has to go, and a lot of times it's the prevention-type programs."

Andrea Allen, Coastal's assistant director, said she doesn't think local public schools will lose services.

"We see our school-based services as an extension of our clinic-based services," she said.

The center offers mental health counseling for students at school and often invites parents in for family therapy.

"Because of that, our program is a little bit different than other programs in the state," Allen said.