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Inmates access mental health treatment

Ottumwa Courier - 7/28/2017

July 28--OTTUMWA -- Sheriff Mark Miller must transport mental health patients to court-ordered hospital stays. But many of the prisoners in his own jail struggle with mental health issues.

"We do have a clinician working in the jail now from this behavioral health region," said Miller.

The cost of that social worker is absorbed by the four counties in the region, so the sheriff's office doesn't have to find the funds to support the expense. It's a break Miller welcomes, and he has hopes it can benefit society as much as the patient prisoner.

"She'll determine who may need assistance with mental health, who might need resources for treatment when they get out," he said.

But there's one more step to the Jail Alternatives Program.

"I see what we can do while they're in jail," said Judi Fox, a licensed master social worker who coordinates the program.

Miller said his hope is treatment will reduce the chance of a prisoner being released only to get sent right back to jail. Fox believes in the plan.

"One of the big pieces we provide is medication," she said, "and services of a psychiatrist. The county has funded psychiatric medication for them. The hope is to reduce the recidivism rate. This gives them a chance; they're in jail so there are no drugs, but they're getting their medicine regularly. Not everyone wants help; but for some, this can be a turning point."

"In a way, I'm glad we have this program so that we're not using our jail in lieu of a hospital bed for mental health needs," said Wapello County Supervisor Greg Kenning.

Miller said if a person with mental illness commits a crime, they can end up in jail, but the jail can't take them in just based on a diagnosis. It's a variation on that theme that concerns Fox.

"I am shocked at the number of people who need to be mental health clients who have never seen a psychiatrist, even at 40 years old," she said.

When she determines what a prisoner's problem may be, she's able to request certain services, including a telemedicine conference with a doctor of psychiatry. That alone is a big deal, said Kenning: There is a shortage of psychiatrists in Iowa, he said.

"When this program went in," he added, "I thought we were making inroads into caring for those in need. Mental health is expensive; since we were forced to regionalize, the county has actually saved money on mental health. But I don't know that it's saved us real money overall: The jail has been more full -- though I can't say it's related, I worry."

One thing will change many of these guidelines and recommendations, however: Prisoners are required to obey the court and the correctional department. The court has the final say in what a prisoner can or cannot do. But the South Central Behavioral Health Jail Alternatives program may give some the possibility of change with outside resources, like help with housing. Clients can also find change because now, Fox said, they have a diagnosis, meds and some tools to deal with issues.

"If they would follow the track they are on, they have a good chance of getting their life back together again," she said.

Reporter Mark Newman can be contacted at mnewman@ottumwacourier.com and followed on Twitter @couriermark.

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(c)2017 the Ottumwa Courier (Ottumwa, Iowa)

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