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7 <br />case management services are concentrated in the Concord office. Eliot maintains a 24- <br />hour beeper system and assists parents who phone regarding runaway teenagers or those <br />for whom medication balances get out of control. Psychotherapy is provided at the <br />Lexington office for a few clients. <br /> From the point of view of the clinical administrator, there are not enough mental <br />health services to meet needs in our region. Eliot, among others, has recently done little <br />with outreach efforts in Lexington, after making a valiant effort in earlier years. Rates of <br />reimbursement for mental illness and emotional distress are significantly lower than rates <br />for physical illnesses. The state’s new mental health parity law makes it sound to the public <br />as if more services will become available, but the law requires proof that the illness being <br />addressed constitutes a “medical necessity,” a standard that is very difficult to meet. <br /> In fiscal year 2002, Eliot provided 771.5 hours of services - a total of 791 sessions or <br />appointments - to 21 residents of Lexington. The services ranged from individual therapy <br />to family and couples therapy, to family and case consultations, diagnostic evaluations of <br />clients, and medication management. <br />Edinburg Center Inc. Edinburg, known until 2002 as the Center for Mental Health <br />and Retardation Services, has a large headquarters building located at 1040 Waltham <br />Street in Lexington. It is a private, not-for-profit corporation funded by the Massachusetts <br />Departments of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Public Health, foundation grants, <br />HMO’s and other third party payers. Its director, Ellen Attaliades, is a licensed clinician in <br />psychology, and has 22 years of professional experience, nearly all of them with Edinburg. <br /> This agency employs about 300 professionals and support staff who work in the <br />Lexington headquarters and clinic and in clinics in Waltham and Arlington. It serves 18 <br />towns and villages in the immediate county. In addition to providing diagnostic, evaluative, <br />and case management treatment and support planning services, Edinburg maintains these <br />types of services: <br /> <br />