Residents and commissioners oppose proposed privatization of community mental health; county group to raise awareness

Public commenters and at least one commissioner urged the Saint Clair County Board of Commissioners on July 17 to oppose privatization of community mental health services and to help inform residents and legislators about the issue. Why it matters: Community mental health (CMH) serves residents with behavioral-health needs; proposals to shift management or funding to private contractors could change access, accountability and oversight and prompt service delivery changes. What speakers said Anthony Farrell, pastor at Crossroads Community Church and a resident of Saint Clair Township, told the commission he opposed privatization of community mental health. He said privatization risks separating people from community-based relationships and accountability and warned that “insurance companies are the lowest bidders out for economic gain” and could reduce community connections and oversight. Farrell said he hosted a podcast with Deb Johnson of SCCCMH to raise awareness and encouraged commissioners to suggest actions to stall or avert privatization. Commissioner reports and staff attendance Commissioner Lisa (last name not indicated in the record) told fellow commissioners she attended a legislative briefing about community mental health earlier in the week and forwarded materials to the full board. She and another commissioner said state legislators and several county officials attended a briefing hosted by St. Clair County CMH and Macomb County CMH on a proposed procurement process at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Lisa said the briefing outlined concerns about how the procurement proposal might conflict with current mental-health code and reduce local choice and open-meetings transparency if services were moved to a private system. Next steps Speakers encouraged residents to contact legislators and SCCCMH (saintclairecommunitymentalhealth.org / scccmh.org) to register concerns. Commissioners did not adopt a formal resolution at the July 17 meeting but several commissioners and speakers expressed opposition to privatization and urged public awareness and legislative engagement.