Talk:Estelle Richman

Community Behavioral Health
Estelle Richman was the driving force behind the creation of Community Behavioral Health (CBH) in Philadelphia, PA. The agency was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1994, and began managing the behavioral healthcare of medical assistance recipients on February 1, 1997, under a contract with the city of Philadelphia as part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's HealthChoices program for Medicaid. CBH was part of a vision for serving the needs of residents that was identified during the closing of Philadelphia State Hospital on Byberry Road, earmarking funding previously used for congregate housing for the mentally ill in a deplorable facility. The city was reluctant to award the contract to CBH as it would assume liability for any cost overruns and had recently been placed under state oversight to avoid bankruptcy. With the ardent support of the local NAMI leaders and activist citizens who were appalled by the inhumane conditions at Byberry, the city eventually awarded a six month contract to CBH anticipating cost overruns that would end the initiative. Instead, undo the leadership of Richman as Board Chair and CEO Nancy Lucas, CBH excelled at ensuring the delivery of high quality and effective behavioral healthcare services to over 100,000 recipients annually. The program was the recipient of the 1999 Innovations in Government Award under the auspices of Harvard University and the Ford Foundation, which praised the blending of funding streams in the city to provide seamless services regardless of funding sources. Expectations of failure never came to be, and the agency recently noted 25 years of service to the residents of Philadelphia as part of the city's Department of Behavioral Health & Intellectual disAbilities Services (dbhids). PeterInPA (talk) 06:15, 26 March 2024 (UTC)