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The St. Clair County Community Mental Health Authority adopted a resolution at their meeting on August 6th expressing the board’s opposition to the termination of a State Contract with the Lakeshore Regional Entity. The Lakeshore entity provides mental health services to over 250,000 residents in 7 Western Michigan Counties. The significance of the termination is that this will be the first time that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will be using a private provider, Beacon Health Options, to provide services within that region or any region in Michigan. Most regions including, region 10, of which the St. Clair County CMH belongs, stand in opposition. They believe it takes local control of the traditional public mental health system, and puts that control directly to “for profit” companies. Although the state of Michigan says this is a temporary measure, regions around the State of Michigan believe it will remain permanent, thereby eliminating the public mental health system in Michigan.
