Vermont Society of Association Executives PO Box 1013 Montpelier, VT 05601

Vermont Council of Developmental & Mental Health Services Julie B. Tessler Executive Director 137 Elm Street Montpelier, VT 05602 Phone: 802-223-1773 Fax: 802-223-5523 Email: julie@vtcouncil.org www.vtcouncil.org The Vermont Council of Community Mental Health Services promotes a statewide, nonprofit system of developmental and behavioral healthcare for people with developmental disabilities; serious and persistent mental illness; substance abuse; and children experiencing severe emotional disturbance, as well as their families. The Council, through its fifteen member agencies, works toward ensuring access to a high-quality continuum of health care and support services in every community throughout the state. The Council also strives to improve the health and safety of our communities through socially responsible alliances and partnerships, information sharing, education and advocacy at the national, state and local levels. The structure and function of the Council member agencies are varied. However, each agency is designated by the VT Department of Developmental and Mental Health Services to provide a specific range of services in their region. Together they form a complete continuum of services across the state. There are ten Community Mental Health Centers, of which nine also provide developmental services. There are five agencies specializing in developmental services and one specializing in child and family mental health care. One of the key challenges is access to enough resources to provide quality outcomes for consumers. The majority of funding for developmental and mental health services comes from state and federal sources. Therefore, the Council works closely with state government to maximize resources and the cost effectiveness of services. Service quality is hurt by staff turnover rates that currently averages 30% per year. This is a result of the large pay differential between our workers and those employed by state government, schools and the private sector. ASAE MEMBER