The new state funding announced last week for Mineral Springs Center and other mental health programs is described as “fantastic” by Mineral Springs Director Tonya Allen.
But that funding is only one piece of the financial puzzle needed by the center to keep its doors open and serve adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Allen said this week the financial influx from the state will help programs such as the local one attract and retain employees. There is currently a 40% turnover rate in these programs.
The mental health industry has been lobbying for years trying to reverse this trend. But employees have only seen five pay increases in 30 years, Allen said.
So the pay increases that come with the budget passed by the Georgia House of Representatives are a “wonderful thing,” Allen said.
The budget must still pass the State Senate.
But even with the added funds, there is still a gap that must be filled. That gap exists because “the money doesn’t come without the clients,” Allen said. And right now Mineral Springs Center is short on clients.
The center served an average of 38 clients a day before COVID-19 hit barely more than a year ago. That number is currently down to eight, a drop of almost 80 percent. A corresponding reduction, based on clients who are being served, has been seen in the amount of federal money the Center receives.
Allen believes that as the COVID-19 situation diminishes, Mineral Springs clients will return. She said one client is planning to come back in April and another plans to return in May. The center is also offering virtual services, but the funding for these services is only half of what is received for clients who attend the center.
Allen says staff at the center works diligently to clean and sanitize the facility. They are also working to educate people about the need for vaccinations. Just last week, 30 staff, clients and client caregivers received their COVID-19 vaccinations.
But Allen explains that families of Mineral Springs’ clients are traditionally “very cautious.” The clients' disabilities make health risks more serious for them.
While the Georgia budget greatly improves the long-range needs of the Center, the current funding gap still exists.
“We need support to keep the doors open until they (the clients) get here,” Allen said.
Anyone wishing to donate can do so by mailing a donation to Mineral Springs Center at P.O. Box 28, Blue Ridge, Georgia, or online at savemineralsprings.org.