Riley County Commissioners Ron Wells, left, Robert Boyd and Ben Wilson.
The Riley County Commission announced a proclamation that adds the county to a national initiative that seeks to lessen the number of mentally-ill individuals in county jails Monday morning.
The proclamation joins the “Stepping Up” initiative, which is backed by the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Foundation.
“Now, therefore let it be known,” Commission Chairman Ron Wells said, “that the Board of County Commissioners of Riley County, Kansas, does hereby sign on to a ‘Call to Action’ to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in all county jails, commits to sharing lessons learned with other counties in this state and across the country, and supports a national initiative to encourage all county officials, employees, and residents to participate in ‘Stepping Up.’”
The initiative was started to seek treatment for the mentally ill through mental healthcare centers and professionals, rather than in county jails where there is little or no training in dealing with and treating mentally-ill individuals.
“I appreciate the commitment that is being shown by the Riley County Commission,” Pawnee Mental Health Executive Director Robbin Cole said. “We can probably even go back to when Pawnee Mental Health was first established in Riley County as the Riley County Mental Health Center, and that will be 59 years ago on Nov. 19 this year.”
Cole said it still amazes her that the issue of mental health has reached such a dire state.
“I wonder if any of us thought that there would be the necessity of such a proclamation calling for efforts to treat the mentally ill in other venues than our local jails,” she said.
This year officials from Riley County, Geary County, Pottawatomie County and the City of Manhattan have been in discussions to expand mental health care services in the region.
“When this opportunity to sign on to this came aboard, it seemed so appropriate and such an acknowledgement of all the work that’s already going on here in Riley County,” Cole said.
By signing on to the initiative, Riley County will take a closer examination of how mentally-ill individuals are treated and diagnosed in the county jail, along with local and state funding options for expanded services.
Commissioners are likely not expecting much help from the state, however. A recent revenue projection for the state budget predicts a $354-million shortfall.
In other items, commissioners agreed to continue with a plan to purchase new breathing units for the Riley County Fire Department.
Commissioners directed county fire chief Pat Collins to apply for a USDA grant and loan to cover the cost of the equipment, which is could cost as much as $456,000.
