May 9, 2011-- With government money tight and the need for services and programs enormous, County Executive Robert P. Astorino Monday announced an initiative designed to help Westchester's extensive network of non-profit agencies find ways to cut overhead and work together.
Speaking at the Not-For-Profit Leadership Summit presented by the United Way of Westchester and Putnam and the Westchester Community Foundation, Astorino announced that Dr. Grant Mitchell, the commissioner of community mental health, will take on added duties as outreach coordinator to the county's non-profit sector.
As such, he will develop recommendations over the next three months on ways the county can help the non-profit agencies reduce costs so it has more funds to spend on services.
"What our non-profit network does is incredible, " said Astorino. "Large and small, these social and cultural agencies are staffed with dedicated, knowledgeable professionals. Westchester could not get along without them. Under my plan, the county would help facilitate their efforts to work together and with the county to cut costs and become more efficient."
Astorino said that Mitchells's new tasks will include the following:
- To build and strengthen relationships with all segments of the non-profit community
- To identify ways the county and non-profit agencies can create efficiencies
- To develop new business models that will apply efficiency savings to offsetting losses in revenues.
A key focus will be to streamline duplicative overhead in areas like real estate, human resources, IT, purchasing, payroll and government rules, regulations and forms.
"I have asked Grant to attack his new role the same way the county is approaching Playland.," Astorino said. "Start with a blank slate. Don't prescribe answers. Ask questions. Let solutions emerge from the best minds in the business, which are right here in Westchester."
He added, "I am confident our approach will work because it already has. Working closely with non-profits in the mental health sector, we have redefined the care and delivery model. We have eliminated conflicts of interest, lowered costs and continued to deliver quality care. It is now time to apply the lessons of our mental health clinic experience – good and bad – more broadly."
Westchester County government has a long history of working with and providing money to the non-profit agencies for many programs. These range from social services to the arts and libraries; from programs to help seniors to those that help families; to those focus on health to those that provide after school services.
"Working together, we can direct dollars to where they will do the most good," Mitchell said. "Every dollar taken out of duplication, overhead and bureaucracy is a dollar that can go to services."