(Our view) Stepping up with local initiative

Published 5:30 am Saturday, August 25, 2018

Efforts to intervene in the mental health crisis took a positive turn for Cullman County recently with the announcement of a single grant.

Awarded through WellStone, the Cullman area’s mental health service provider, the $50,000 grant will fund the hiring of a licensed case worker to provide services at the Cullman County Detention Center and Cullman Regional.

A coalition of healthcare providers, law enforcement officials, judges and others have been working to find funds for establishing a mental health treatment program that can do more to reach indigents in the community. Many people who are incarcerated or taken to the emergency room because of mental health-related conditions are uninsured and financially unable to secure professional treatment.

Added into the problem is the mix of self-medication with various drugs. A professional case worker as secured by the WellStone grant is a major step in re-directing these individuals into effective treatment.

WellStone Director Chris Van Dyke said a similar program has been used in Huntsville, providing more treatment for residents and reducing costs by about $200,000 at the Madison County correctional facility.

Cullman County judges, in this program, will work with the case worker and law enforcement officials to determine if some inmates can be deferred into supervised treatment programs. The worker will also be qualified to assess drug and mental health issues for judges and law enforcement.

WellStone and the mental health coalition have moved swiftly to secure this important grant. The long-term goal is to provide extensive outpatient and inpatient treatment for those who have been unable to afford the services.

Cullman County, like so many communities across the country, has suffered through a prolonged increase in suicides and mental health-related incidents. Funding at the state and federal level has remained flat or decreased while these issues have grown.

The grassroots effort locally to solve the problem and not wait for a new level of funding from the state is admirable and reflective of good leadership. We encourage the community to support this effort financially as much as possible.