Mental Health in RI: A System in Crisis, Part 2

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — With half of Rhode Islanders who have a mental health issue not getting the care they need, patients and therapists agree our system is on the brink of a crisis.

It’s a puzzle with a lot of pieces, including housing–which has been a struggle for folks like Stephen in Providence. 

“Trying to find housing, emergency housing, because if you’re not drug use then you’re out of luck,” said Stephen.

For Pam Testoni of East Greenwich, her ordeal was trying to find a therapist after a suicide attempt. She says that was nearly impossible. 

“That’s why I’m talking to you today. I don’t want anybody to have to go through that,” said Testoni.

Groups like the Mental Health Association of Rhode Island are pushing for the state to invest more money in resources for those dealing with mental illness, so they stay in treatment, as well as earmark more funding for both inpatient and outpatient care. 

“We do need to do a better job of educating our policy makers and even insurance companies about the nature of mental illness, because there are no quick fixes. They are chronic conditions and for some people they will last a lifetime,” said Laurie Marie Pisciotta, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Rhode Island.

Advocates want to see the state increase insurance reimbursement rates for behavioral doctors and therapists to bring them in line with medical rates, so more will open their doors. Local psychologists say that would make a huge difference for patients.

“It costs far more to have someone go to the ER for an intake evaluation than it does to see me for a whole year, and if we can make access to someone like me easier, we will save a lot of money,” said Dr. Peter Oppenheimer, a Barrington-based psychologist.

I sat down with Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner Marie Ganim. Her office is doing a host of studies and audits looking at whether people are getting adequate access to care. 

“So we actually looked at the lives of people, patients who are seeking behavioral health services, and we compared how the decisions were made for those patients. And we found some things that were probably less than satisfactory,” said Ganim. 

As a result they’ve gotten Blue Cross Blue Shield, for example, to stop requiring prior authorizations, but Ganim plans on mandating other changes that may be needed. 

“How many hospital beds do we need? How many outpatient services do we need? How much residential services do we need? Once we get those results and we hope will be in about six months, we actually can then work with the insurers to make investments in the pieces where we have gaps,” said Ganim.

To file a complaint with the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner, call (855) 747-3224 or (401) 270-0101 or visit the Rhode Island Parent Information Network at https://ripin.org/services/services/.

For access to behavioral health services 24/7, you can visit BH Link at 975 Waterman Ave in East Providence, call (401) 414-LINK (5465) or visit https://www.bhlink.org.