Legislature prioritizes mental health care over incarceration
Victoria AdvocateJun 04, 2017
Friday, State Sen.
"I think this is a start," Gulf Bend Center Executive Director
Last year, Tunnell impaneled a group called the Gulf Bend Community Collaborative. The group comprises representatives from the law enforcement, medical and nonprofit community, and it conceived in October an about
He, Tunnell and
SB 292 states that collaboratives serving a population of less than 250,000 -- like the Gulf Bend Community Collaborative -- will have to come up with a 50-percent match of whatever grant amount is awarded.
Meanwhile, collaboratives serving a population of more than 250,000 will have to come up with a 100-percent match.
It also states that 20 percent of the about
Boyd hoped the Gulf Bend Community Collaborative would receive a grant under SB 292 to expand a mental health officer program that was started in May. It currently serves
Boyd also envisioned using the money to train patrol officers on how to spot those in need of mental health care.
He thought what the Gulf Bend Community Collaborative had accomplished so far would give it an edge when competing with other collaboratives in the state for the money available under SB 292.
"It will prove to those who are in control of the monies that we're already putting in the effort to address this humanitarian problem," he said.
The Gulf Bend Community Collaborative is tentatively scheduled to meet
Though authored by three Republican senators, the bill received bipartisan support. It was sent to the governor for signing
The Gulf Bend Community Collaborative will have to wait for the Commission to solicit grant proposals before it can submit one. It may also be too early to think about how to prove to the Commission it is meeting its goals as SB 292 requires, Tunnell said.
Some ways to prove that might be how many times a frequently incarcerated person with mental illness was incarcerated after engaging with a mental health officer or how certain calls for service decreased over time, Boyd said.
"What you'll find is that a lot of people who are suffering from a mental health crisis will end up in jail for disorderly conduct or criminal trespass," he said.
Later, Boyd added, "We want these people to have a higher quality of life, so they are productive members of society. You can't do that when you're putting them in jail for minor, nonviolent offenses. There is a better way to handle the situation."
Last month, Gulf Bend -- which treats those without insurance and those on
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