A Gilroy mental health agency that helped low-income, mostly Hispanic kids for 40 years is in jeopardy of closing after county officials refused to keep funding its most successful program and slashed its revenues by 64 percent.
“We want the community to know that while we provide a really high quality of service, others have decided to devalue these services and give money to another agency,” said Robert Freiri, executive director of Chamberlain’s Mental Health Services.
At issue is the county’s sudden decision after years of support to cease funding countywide for one of CMHS’s two programs, and its bread and butter, Day Treatment.
Day Treatment provides intensive intervention and treatment for children ages 3-11 (and their families) who face significant behavioral and emotional challenges that disrupt their ability to learn in classroom settings and behave well in school and at home.
They might be completely competent intellectually, but their “emotional and behavior patterns prevent them from benefitting from a full day at school,” said Ken Parker, program director at Chamberlain’s. The agency’s success rate with such children is 96 percent, he said.
All Day Treatment clients are referred to CMHS by the Gilroy Unified School District, Parker said.
One was Josie Bravo’s son. “He had so many behaviors. Therapists worked with us day and night and assured us things would get better. They did, and because of this program he is doing great today.”
She said, “It’s programs like this that give back to people like myself. I became a board member and now I am giving back to the community; it’s very personal to me.”
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