Advocates Plan Walk Against Proposed Changes To Mental Health Centers

BOSTON (AP) — People with mental illness and their supporters are planning to ask Gov. Deval Patrick to back off any planned changes to community-based services in Massachusetts.

The advocates plan to gather at the Department of Mental Health on Tuesday morning and then walk to the Statehouse.

They say they oppose proposed changes to "Clubhouse" centers around the state. The centers provide day services for adults with mental illness who live on their own.

Advocates say they are particularly concerned about a new billing system that they say is unnecessarily cumbersome, costly, intrusive and filled with unfunded mandates.

Massachusetts has 33 of the recovery and rehabilitation centers that serve more than 8,300 residents each year who are recovering from serious and persistent mental illness.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.