By Perry Schaible
Enquirer contributor

HAMILTON - Without the services of the Butler County Mental Health Board, Cindy Danley's 8-year-old son probably couldn't be cared for at the family's Oxford home.

But because Aaron, who is bipolar, has received therapy since 2001, he is living with his mother, stepfather and two half brothers.

"Without (the mental health board), we wouldn't be where we are today," Danley said. "Our son went from violent and unmanageable to being a happy and well-adjusted child."

Services like those provided to the Danleys could be in jeopardy without the passage of Issue 11 - a half-mill, five-year levy before voters on March 2.

The mental health levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an extra $15 a year. If passed, the levy would generate $3.5 million each year.

"We are in such a desperate situation with having made close to $3 million in cuts in the last few years," said John Staup, executive director of the Butler County Mental Health Board.

"We're at the brink of not having any funds to subsidize care for moderate to low income families who aren't Medicaid-eligible," he said.

Since 1985, the mental health board has tried and failed to pass five levies. Recent cuts have caused the board to turn away families and have put some agencies on the brink of survival.

"We can't serve anybody for outpatient services who aren't Medicaid eligible," Staup said.

Comprehensive Counseling Service in Middletown serves more than 1,000 people a year, at least 500 fewer than in previous years.

Executive Director Henry Dorfman said the agency won't be in imminent danger of closing if the levy fails, but it will be a bigger challenge to stay open.

"We always scratch and scramble and just try and find a way," he said.

Staup describes Issue 11 as the "bare minimum" necessary to raise enough money to restore cuts made in the last three years including care for moderate and low income, non-Medicaid people.

Aaron is part of the Wings program, a branch of the Butler Behavioral Health Services. With its help, the family has been able to decrease the frequency of in-home therapy from two times a week to every two weeks.

"If somebody doesn't speak up, who will? This is my son's future," Danley said. "It's possible to have a mental illness and lead a productive, regular lifestyle, but you have to have access to treatment."

The original levy passed in 1985 and was renewed in 1994. It will expire at the end of 2004.