U.S. Stops Payments to Tinley Center

By Stanley Ziemba, Chicago Tribune

Mar. 14–A federal agency has halted, at least temporarily, Medicare and Medicaid payments to the Tinley Park Mental Health Center, citing patient “treatment issues,” the Illinois Department of Human Services confirmed Tuesday.

As a result of the funding cutoff, the department is directing new patients in those two programs to its Madden Center in Maywood and Reed Mental Health Center in Chicago, said spokesman Tom Green.

Green noted “steps already have been taken” by the department to have the certification reinstated, but the process could take “a couple if not several months.”

By losing certification for Medicare and Medicaid payments at the center, 183rd Street and Harlem Avenue, the state potentially could lose a substantial amount of funding for its state mental health budget, according to individuals familiar with mental health operations.

But Green said most, if not all, of the 60 residents housed at the center are funded through sources other than Medicare or Medicaid.

He also said he did not have information about what patient “treatment issues” were involved.

Several facilities across the country lost certification in recent years as a result of the growing shortage of nurses and other professionals to staff mental health centers, officials in other states have pointed out.

“I suspect the fact that the state has said it wants to close the Tinley Park center is causing staffing problems there too,” said Suzanne Andriukaitis, executive director of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Greater Chicago.

“Who wants to work at a facility that could end up being shut down?”

Green said there are “no plans” to close the Tinley center. Lobbying by mental health advocates and a push by legislators saved it in 2005.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich wanted it shut to help close the budget deficit.

sziemba@tribune.com

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