The State Mental Health Department has been sending layoff notices to some of its employees. The Department says that by July 1st, it will have 300 open positions. Department Director Dorn Schuffman says most of the positions do not involve people who provide direct care to patients. The cuts result from a lack of money in the state budget. The severity of the cuts won’t be known until the final budget is passed. State law requires that work to be done by May 10th.
