Who Makes the Mental Health Budget, Anyway?
June 4, 2012 at 2:58 pm 2 comments
Ever wonder how the budget for the state’s behavioral health system is made? And who makes the budget? Did you know that Alaskans can have a direct say in how the budget is made?
The Mental Health Budget is developed by the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority in conjunction with the Alaska Mental Health Board, the Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, the Commission of Aging, and the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education. These boards — and all of our constituents – play a key role in deciding what programs and projects are recommended for funding in the Mental Health Budget.
In order to make sure the Mental Health Budget reflects the needs of Alaskan communities, we need your help. We depend on stakeholder input to provide guidance about operating and capital budget recommendations. An important consideration in making budget recommendations is identifying the gaps in our continuum of care. We recognize that you, as the individuals and organizations providing and receiving services from the public behavioral health system, are most aware of those gaps and how best to fill them. We look to you for help to find the best ways to address system needs. The information you provide complements the information we gather year-round from meetings with stakeholders around the state.
We will be accepting stakeholder input for the FY2014-2015 Mental Health Budget until July 6, 2012. We know your time is valuable, so we want to keep this process informal. You can leave a comment here on Speak Your Mind, post to either of the Boards’ Facebook pages, or email our director at Kate.Burkhart@alaska.gov.
Entry filed under: Mental Health Budget. Tags: Budget, public input, stakeholders.
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