[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6534363,"mediaKeyId","3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290","parentId",3626481,"title","Parents and providers warn FY26 cuts would destabilize DC school-based behavioral health program","audioSeconds",8002,"startMs",636000,"endMs",8638000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290&start=636&end=8638","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290/thumbnail_636000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6534363/Parents-and-providers-warn-FY26-cuts-would-destabilize-DC-school-based-behavioral-health-program","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534363-3257b45dfa7bd0de13e2a824b27d8f0c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770621203&Signature=f9ROPof9RzXF56fy4d246go4cl1CB~DTLlNqxFmawRCOn2qRIvTs-rToXBs11zBnp22TpcPCV7EqXqBWFC-EXRcFvPaHa1z3QwhGgQ3oMngC74lhY1tDxvgHX1BnuToXz-ZnJULe~XlYQqLQOwGKNuwJZWyRzYhjsoCB4P94KRYVYHTtPLzDCDamTvqn3ijF6S5Ow5cHyS0erzp8nqzZWHcfSJ-ruI03lLY5~GhO-b~ryNFVcxFzYI12fAWhUN~VHMYUICk15q-7j8dxPE1jyhRjI0bqpFLplYZ~zmLpupNyqEjXAJnrfmbff-DN32ehryXhCpihU5U1BECDkfm9-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","District of Columbia (Health)","date","2025-05-30T00:00:00Z","article","Chair Christina Henderson convened the Committee on Health on May 30 for the first of two oversight hearings on the Department of Behavioral Health's proposed FY26 budget. Public witnesses — including parents, community-based organizations and provider networks — spoke repeatedly about proposed cuts to school-based behavioral health and urged the Council to preserve or stabilize the program.

Leah Kaslaz, senior policy attorney at Children’s Law Center and co‑chair of the Strengthening Families Coalition, told the committee, “The mayor's proposed budget for DBH includes a $3,300,000 cut to the school based behavioral health expansion program.” Kaslaz said that DBH’s budget books do not clearly show how DBH is allocating $25,400,000 for school‑based behavioral health across expansion grants, DBH clinicians, evaluation, and other lines and asked the committee to require DBH to provide a detailed breakdown.

Kaslaz and other witnesses argued that the way the expansion grant is structured creates billing pressures that make community‑based organizations (CBOs) financially unsustainable. “CBOs typically manage to collect only 30% of their billed amounts due to insurance challenges,” said Kristen Ewing, policy counsel at D.C. Appleseed. Ewing recommended establishing a minimum grant amount so CBOs are not forced to “operate at a loss or leave the program.” Several witnesses proposed a $129,000 minimum grant for schools that already have CBO clinicians in place.

Providers and parent leaders described how grant instability and narrow billing targets shift clinicians away from nonbillable but essential work such as classroom consultation, family engagement and prevention services. Laura Patton, clinical supervisor of school‑based mental health at Mary’s Center, described a case in which a student’s acute needs required many nonbillable activities — coordination with teachers, family therapy and psychiatric consultation — and said the clinician’s billable encounters dropped by 5 to 8 sessions per week while the nonbillable workload increased. “When a need for nonbillable support arises, billable services suffer,” she said.

Parents and student advocates said the services translate directly into classroom attendance, behavior and academic progress. Keanu Lamont, a Ward 7 parent, said school‑based clinicians “help students build coping skills” and that proposed reductions would harm students’ ability to learn. Multiple parent leaders and students urged the Council to restore the funding or, at minimum, adopt the proposed minimum grant to retain clinicians.

Several witnesses noted the uneven mix of in‑school supports: schools sometimes have guidance counselors or psychologists focused on special education, but those staff do not consistently provide the tiered, clinical services DBH expansion grants intend to fund. Providers said the variation means a single clinician in a school can be the only licensed mental‑health professional handling both billable therapy and nonbillable prevention and crisis supports.

Council Chair Christina Henderson asked several witnesses for specifics the committee could require from DBH, including a more detailed breakdown of how DBH is currently allocating school‑based funds and whether the proposed reductions reflect unspent funds, staffing vacancies, or intentional program cuts. Several witnesses also asked DBH and the Council to reduce administrative burdens and to make grant payments timely and predictable so CBOs can plan staffing and hiring.

The committee did not vote on funding at the hearing. Witnesses asked the Council to preserve existing expansion funding in FY26, to set a minimum grant of $129,000 for schools with CBO clinicians already placed, and to require DBH to provide clearer budget line detail and program performance data.

Ending: The committee recessed the hearing and scheduled the second part of the DBH budget oversight hearing for Monday, June 2, when agency leaders are set to appear. Witnesses asked the Council to act before finalizing FY26 numbers to avoid clinician attrition and service instability that, they said, would directly reduce students’ access to behavioral health care.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","District of Columbia (Health) - Committee on Health, Budget Oversight Hearing, Christina Henderson, Chairperson - May 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Chair Christina Henderson convened the Committee on Health on May 30 for public testimony on DBH’s FY26 proposal, and parents, clinicians and CBOs warned that proposed reductions to school‑based behavioral health funding would destabilize services and force community providers to operate at a loss or exit the program.","taxTitle","Committee on Health, Committees, Legislative, District of Columbia","taxId",16182,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6534347,"Opioid advocates urge DC to switch to generic naloxone for roughly 20% cost savings",247,1775000,2022000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290&start=1775&end=2022","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290/thumbnail_1775000.jpg","/articles/6534347/Opioid-advocates-urge-DC-to-switch-to-generic-naloxone-for-roughly-20-cost-savings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534347-528a742cea8521b2447c0387f0c85205/orig.mp4?Expires=1770621203&Signature=C12B4CWDF-iChQ2H84SjD~D2JWtSPDw2KyuEfQUd0pmpw4OIIPaXC2wErqTjUL1qDdspFBNiWJ15rTPE7ZSf9c0B5uUPRFn1gpp7OskusRGHzFWU-nZWxfhB67Q7MaAW4cnLoYSJ1YuHP9ZsN3roM80oPeLHhHnCRj-sNj8lahUtUL92SEJuDZyM9wQbw1EJMNANb4PYoOeZ6w7kJH~~S1DycSKIZxmvHFDdK5rkFdcBiJ28ldwne9loaxEMorHyJP1XI-eY2Agf6K2sY2CY0CewjmOe3Xay-GqRmxL8B1SiuSlg0o0bynQOnp80GUon9VYbRn7w6C2ZCsEAiVTt7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Chad Jackson, chairman of the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission and a local provider with lived‑experience in recovery, urged the Committee on Health to consider switching the District’s naloxone procurement to a generic formulation that he said would cost approximately $27 per unit instead of the $33 per unit the city currently pays for a branded product.

Jackson said the district has a contract that purchases Narcan (a branded naloxone spray) at about $33 per pack (each pack contains two nasal devices), and that a generic was becoming available with an FDA‑approved 36‑month shelf life at roughly a 20% savings (he cited $27 per unit). Jackson noted the existing contract structure is a one‑year contract with five optional one‑year extensions and the city was two years into the contract. He recommended evaluating the generic as a ready, lower‑cost alternative and using anticipated savings for other overdose‑prevention work.

Jackson told the committee the device’s delivery mechanism — the spray applicator — was the subject of patent history and that a generic product is now available that matches the device and formulation used in the city contract. “There’s a generic available that starting 2 days from now, starting in June…is approved by the FDA for 36 months of shelf life,” Jackson said. He said the city could “move to something that saves us money, provides the same efficiency, and gives us an opportunity to move that money into some other places.”

Ending: Committee members thanked Jackson and said they would follow up with procurement and DBH to assess contract terms, inventory needs, and potential savings should the district purchase a generic naloxone product.","An Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission member told the Council committee that the District can save about 20% per naloxone unit by purchasing a generic formulation approved with a 36‑month shelf life and redirect savings to other services.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6534349,"Early‑childhood centers urge Council to restore Healthy Futures funding to support behavioral health consultants",448,11316000,11764000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290&start=11316&end=11764","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290/thumbnail_11316000.jpg","/articles/6534349/Earlychildhood-centers-urge-Council-to-restore-Healthy-Futures-funding-to-support-behavioral-health-consultants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534349-5b0f4683bbcfc587abded28fff48aaed/orig.mp4?Expires=1770621203&Signature=DlmHAcM5MMY~ZHEz5I5Zq8zmnLE4RHXFUBnPBwTjfrG3glzuPbgIfkeOOxuckIkWG3H1~dTuvX5EnwAb1c09IlDWVhcsaBtTQG3th-Ssdj2AZlP9O3K-ImBOfd4MGPeBAUjj425D8UB4L4jq-nlVkx6SQ8R~eKmHUFgrXBWEI0jThvG~zGkgm0Pu8v8xOHRtmjX6LuG5GWU5a0HI7F5qwT9HNMFV21jerPq~v5I5moEMSPeJEerMs-kwdO-JNYPOSn0E4jLOGifNU8s-KYP0qr9-twQfGp7x7rgaghAuhszsbgHD6-RTK7RmGDIvtO0ovybk-7SKfM3ayiQpNa190Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several early‑childhood program directors and parent leaders urged the D.C. Council's Committee on Health to retain or restore funding for the Healthy Futures early‑childhood behavioral health program in FY26, saying consultants provide coaching, teacher support and family engagement that improve child outcomes and reduce teacher turnover.

Dr. Rosalina Gullosil, executive director of Jubilee Jumpstart, said the program provides weekly visits and coaching from consultants such as “Dr. Anais,” who helps teachers interpret behavior as communication and provides trauma‑informed strategies. “Her consistent presence, visiting weekly, coaching staff, and partnering with families has built trust and transformed how we care for children,” Gullosil said. She wrote that Healthy Futures is “not a luxury, it’s a necessity.”

Witnesses said the mayor’s proposed FY26 budget reduces Healthy Futures funding to $3.2 million — $206,000 less than FY25 — and that cumulative reductions since FY23 have materially depleted the program’s resources. Providers asked the Council to maintain at least $3.4 million in FY26 and to preserve stable multi‑year funding so programs can retain specialized consultants and supervisors.

Teachers, program directors and parents said the consultants are especially valuable given the pandemic’s continuing effects on social‑emotional development: children returned to classrooms with disrupted routines and increased dysregulation, they said, and center staff often lack the specialized training to manage complex behaviors on their own. “Young children don't have the language to say they are anxious or grieving. Instead, they may cry constantly, lash out, or shut down,” said Jubilee Jumpstart’s director. Providers testified that Healthy Futures reduces classroom disruptions, supports teacher retention and increases school‑readiness skills.

Ending: The committee asked DBH and budget staff to provide additional detail on Healthy Futures line items and to discuss funding stability in upcoming hearings. Providers asked the Council to preserve multi‑year funding commitments and to avoid further cuts that would cause loss of consultant staff and increased strain on early‑learning centers.","Child‑care directors and early‑education providers told the Committee on Health that mayoral FY26 proposals would reduce Healthy Futures funding and risk removing weekly behavioral‑health consultants who coach teachers, support families and reduce classroom disruptions.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6534353,"Providers warn cuts to youth crisis teams, court urgent care and community supports will reduce access to care",5619,3844000,9463000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290&start=3844&end=9463","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290/thumbnail_3844000.jpg","/articles/6534353/Providers-warn-cuts-to-youth-crisis-teams-court-urgent-care-and-community-supports-will-reduce-access-to-care","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534353-3204e8926ff64c1ce27f00a7b79c63cb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770621203&Signature=WunGD2vGBoPdTjECWtMqt8~DFxtev9OOitscmJ~oPzBZaiGIJYzmRnGkouCQDwY8cIhcEC1pp7cce5vFU9LxYFsLren7Z6pZhqMyFUp2dkW1Sz0yJHJ~oEDa4ckatWDVDRvvc~wxv7s8LBTpEkzSnfzbjeFS-Dy6YQ2WgYUxZic8P7j16PywzR3cX65ilboKb90ZRdODn4sTnCAsiUXY5W5lkhoV9ZTSGAYRD7YH8R12~1ybOknBJ2Pkz79b2p6vfGtayfx120LHU45UAp3ocZ~Ys2oeOjkr99cKyBLVgpCMouK7wMyJcTl9hkrYGLCsf1KrNfCq7rEHr-DBHYoDNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Multiple crisis‑system providers, hospital partners and child advocates told the Committee on Health that the mayor’s FY26 budget proposal for the Department of Behavioral Health would reduce capacity for youth crisis response, eliminate a courthouse‑based urgent care clinic and materially cut community support services.

Chris Gamble, a behavioral‑health policy analyst at Children’s Law Center, said CHAMPS — the child and adolescent mobile psychiatric service — “is being almost completely defunded.” Gamble warned that the community response team (CRT) is not a ready substitute for CHAMPS’ youth‑specific model and said cutting CHAMPS would be “harmful” because schools rely on CHAMPS for assessments and transportation when hospitalization is necessary.

Bria Mathis, clinical director for CHAMPS, provided operational detail: CHAMPS responded to 1,089 calls over the past year and provided in‑person clinical intervention for 873, or roughly 80 percent, of those calls; 78 percent of in‑person interventions resulted in stabilization in the community and avoided hospitalization. Mathis said sustaining staff and licensed clinicians requires roughly $1.23 million in salary costs alone and that reducing CHAMPS’ proposed FY26 allocation from $1,200,000 to $648,000 would force service reductions.

Several witnesses also testified about the Court Urgent Care Clinic, an embedded clinic at the D.C. Superior Court that provides same‑day behavioral‑health assessment and treatment for people who encounter court processes. Shannon Walsh, clinical director of the Court Urgent Care Clinic, said the program provides same‑day services, often preventing unnecessary hospitalizations, and that it was on pace for 845 unique referrals and 1,029 assessments for the contract year. When asked by the committee, Walsh and Pathways to Housing representatives said DBH had proposed eliminating the clinic; committee questioning showed the clinic’s minimal FY26 funding need if restored was roughly $907,000.

Mark Levoda, executive director of the District of Columbia Behavioral Health Association, warned of a separate, larger cut to community support services (MHRS). Levoda said DBH has proposed an $11,300,000 reduction in MHRS local‑only services that would be implemented by cutting the authorization from 200 units per 180 days to 100 units per 180 days. “Forty units is an hour, so a hundred units per hundred and 80 days results in less than 1 hour of care being available per week for people assessed to have severe and persistent mental illness,” Levoda said. He added that the provider network lacks the staffing to manage the additional administrative burdens the change would create.

Unity Healthcare, Pathways to Housing and community hospital representatives told the committee that cuts to crisis teams and community supports would increase emergency‑department use, jail involvement and unmet needs for people with severe and persistent mental illness. Witnesses urged the Council to restore CHAMPS funding, keep the Court Urgent Care Clinic, and restore MHRS funding at prior authorization levels (200 units per 180 days) to avoid service collapse and overload in hospitals and the criminal justice system.

Ending: The committee asked DBH for clarifying information about the proposed cuts and set a follow‑up for agency testimony on June 2. Providers asked the Council to weigh the potential system‑level costs — including ED use and involuntary hospitalizations — before finalizing budget changes.","Witnesses at a Committee on Health hearing said proposed FY26 changes to DBH — including large reductions to CHAMPS funding, elimination of the Court Urgent Care Clinic, and a plan to cut community support (MHRS) units — would weaken DC’s crisis system for children and adults and shift demand to emergency rooms and police.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6534358,"Nurses and union say St. Elizabeth's Hospital staff face daily assaults, call for more security and supplies",1123,2652000,3775000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290&start=2652&end=3775","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3626481-43f73d77f3cbf89b6cca38aa2dd5b290/thumbnail_2652000.jpg","/articles/6534358/Nurses-and-union-say-St-Elizabeths-Hospital-staff-face-daily-assaults-call-for-more-security-and-supplies","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6534358-cf3a0cddf26ce52c99038e0d8d6577a4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770621203&Signature=QCvsiWXwBWIcL-AumMkWd0guU0wzeRr3OBNMKiKTOM7YH8cl03BiC9DVQ7FeFlfcS-hJcVOxBuvvToPzK72yxtmDvngGiguWEEGGrzLQBT7CRJ0BkrtAR2cEEa2M~b1vlm0Zf~DaMLzSeDSt~JnOFuZ-llpTDiz4OQngnKNeyxKcBs~cUWz2D-U0dlkv-Bk1c4PEU4ZNbVMyX4492QMcBA4pT0DjL9uOqZ1osioTb-qnFuDlpI-xwvRLSzeQXsjFZ6XsxfDpl8h~O~JFbDmPznF5WjmwuAldiETtMGQFg11lhcpnwRn6RVmhx5vaOE7D8j8-iB-W3l6gBefh~kzHew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Nurses, union leaders and frontline clinicians told the Committee on Health on May 30 that St. Elizabeth's Hospital is experiencing frequent, severe workplace assaults and material shortages and that the hospital’s staffing and security posture has not kept pace with a growing forensic population.

Nancy Boyd, president of the District of Columbia Nurses Association and a nurse educator at St. Elizabeth’s, said the hospital now averages “37 physical assaults each month — more than one assault every single day on our staff or the individuals in our care.” Boyd and other union witnesses described an increase in forensic patients admitted to the hospital and said management has not provided consistent, operational responses to recurrent violence.

“There's a lack of substantial action to address this escalating violence,” Boyd said. The union urged immediate investments including “increased security presence…a minimum of officers to be available in every unit 24/7,” installation of promised jail‑style phones, walkie‑talkies, reinforced ceiling‑to‑ceiling nursing stations and stronger entry and exit doors.

Darryl Stewart, vice president of the District of Columbia Nurses Association and a nurse practitioner, said frontline staff face “an explosive environment” partly because forensic (court‑related) admissions have overtaken civil admissions. “The alarming 5 to 1 ratio of pretrial admissions from the District of Columbia Central Detention Facility compared to civil admissions” contributes to higher acuity, Stewart said, and he described shortages of basic supplies and delays in equipment and durable medical goods.

Multiple nurses described units with a single way in and one way out, inadequate security coverage and long delays in obtaining needed supplies. Nicole Shefa, a registered nurse at St. Elizabeth’s, said her unit had reduced its census to protect other patients because one individual in care was “so violent that administration decided to remove all the other patients from the unit…not to protect us.” Nurses described staff injuries requiring surgery, long return‑to‑work gaps, and underreporting in administrative summaries of assaults.

Union witnesses also questioned whether budget and administrative decisions were connected to the operational shortfalls. Justin Palmer of the District of Columbia Hospital Association, testifying earlier, supported a $9 million overtime enhancement at St. Elizabeth’s while urging the Council to ensure that proposed cuts — including a $2.4 million reduction in clinical medical services and a $4.4 million reduction in nursing services — do not reduce the hospital’s ability to care for patients. The committee was told that the mayor’s proposed budget contains line changes described by witnesses as reductions to housekeeping, nursing and nutrition services.

Union members sought greater transparency about how funds are allocated within St. Elizabeth's and requested management include frontline clinical staff and nurses in decision‑making on supplies, security, and procurement. They also asked the Council to consider hazard pay and stronger enforcement of staffing ratios and to demand that DBH and hospital leadership present a clear plan to address rising forensic admissions and unit safety.

Ending: Committee Chair Christina Henderson acknowledged the testimony and said staff would follow up with DBH and St. Elizabeth’s leadership. No formal action was taken at the hearing; witnesses asked the committee to request more detailed incident data and a plan to address staffing, security and supply chain problems.","Nurses, union leaders and clinicians testified that St. Elizabeth's Hospital has an escalating level of violence and lacks adequate security, staffing and supplies as forensic admissions rise. They urged the Council to require safety investments and to scrutinize recent DBH staffing and budget changes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Parents and providers warn FY26 cuts would destabilize DC school-based behavioral health program

Opioid advocates urge DC to switch to generic naloxone for roughly 20% cost savings

Early‑childhood centers urge Council to restore Healthy Futures funding to support behavioral health consultants

Providers warn cuts to youth crisis teams, court urgent care and community supports will reduce access to care

Nurses and union say St. Elizabeth's Hospital staff face daily assaults, call for more security and supplies