An agency providing mental health and substance abuse services to thousands of Fairfax County residents will undergo a review of its practices under a new commission.
The Board of Supervisors agreed Monday to commit $500,000 to the Beeman Commission to study the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board. The commission, which has not yet been filled, is named after the former chair of the agency who died earlier this year.
The agency is faced with heavy caseloads and has recently struggled with a significant waiting list for mentally-ill adults. They have, according to Deputy Director Mary Kudless, recently brought down that backlog with the addition of new staff.
“I don’t believe we can sustain this improvement until we can address also the caseload size,” she said. “The caseloads for a full-time person are usually over 50 persons. And that’s way too high to do an adequate response to people with serious mental illness.”
The commission is expected to review the Community Services Board’s practices and deliver recommendations on potential improvements, said Fairfax County Executive Anthony Griffin. He said it will likely take nine months to complete the study.
“I think this is an effort to make sure that current best practices are being practiced in Fairfax as appropriate, and that resources that are available to the Community Services Board are being used in a most efficient and effective manner,” said Griffin. “I think there are the expectations of some that this study will highlight that there is a gap in services versus need, and a lot more money can be made available.”
But funding improvements could be difficult, he said, with lean budget years approaching. Fairfax County’s largest cash cow — real estate tax revenue — is expected to stagnate in fiscal 2008.
