Legislative panel visits facilities here

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

The five panelists in attendance were briefed on child support enforcement at the local social services department, challenges facing the delivery of services at St. Mary’s Hospital and toured Anchor at Walden Sierra, a residential treatment center for adult substance abuse in Charlotte Hall.

Lawmakers got a first-hand look at how rural agencies tackle challenges that are both widespread across the state and those that are unique to the region.

‘‘We deal a lot with Baltimore city and the suburban areas and how things are done there,” said Bohanan (D-St. Mary’s), citing previous visits to urban locations. ‘‘This was a good opportunity to go to a rural setting and see how the problems are the same and different in those areas ... It clearly puts some emphasis on the sometimes-unique challenges that we face in the rural areas.”

The 42-bed Anchor center, which serves clients mostly from Southern Maryland, but also in Anne Arundel and Howard counties, only receives enough funding to fill 32 beds at a time and has a lengthy waitlist.

Open since March 2003, the residence provides mostly short-term assistance to substance abusers. In fiscal 2006, almost 400 clients received treatment at Anchor and stayed for an average of 21 days. Nearly half of the patients hail from St. Mary’s, while another one-quarter are Charles County residents.

To meet the demand, St. Mary’s funded for two more beds — at a cost of $115,815 — over two years, helping to slightly reduce the waitlist.

Cash flow is one of the center’s biggest problems. The current fiscal year’s budget shows a deficit of nearly $225,000 — a $600 loss for each client. With employee health insurance and utilities rising, Anchor faces even greater challenges unless it can establish new contracts with other counties.‘‘We have a long string of success with where we are,” said Kathleen O. O’Brien, the center’s executive director, in her pitch for additional state funds. ‘‘It’s just a shame we can’t utilize the beds we have here.”

A client who did not give her last name told officials that Anchor was an outlet that helped save her life. After an initial rehab in 2001, the middle-aged woman was clean for 21 months before relapsing recently in an alcoholic bender. She soon sought treatment at Anchor. ‘‘It gives me the structure I need. It has given me a lot of hope and faith,” she said. ‘‘It’s given me some self-worth again.”

The six-member Health and Human Resources Subcommittee determines the budgets for some of the state’s biggest agencies — the departments of health and mental hygiene, housing and community development, human resources and disabilities.