The Porter County Council is considering its next steps, when it comes to addressing mental health issues in the county. The county commissioners recently hired an outside consultant to conduct a community assessment on suicide awareness and prevention.
With the county currently considering how to spend its share of American Rescue Plan funding, council member Greg Simms thinks it's the perfect time to see if the recommendations are being addressed. "Let's go for this ride, and let's help some people. And we've got the money to do something about it," he told the rest of the council Tuesday.
The assessment from the Pyrce Healthcare Group contains five recommendations, but the one with the biggest price tag is likely a 24/7 behavioral crisis center. Now, council members want to meet with Pyrce Healthcare representatives to figure out what the funding might entail. They also want Porter-Starke Services at the table to make sure its existing efforts aren't being duplicated.
Council President Jeremy Rivas thinks the issue of mental health will be at the forefront for the next couple years. "I believe the state legislators are going to allocate some money in their budget session next year to mental health, and apparently, it would appear, we may be a pilot county," Rivas said Tuesday.
A group of committees is currently considering American Rescue Plan funding allocations. Their recommendations will then go to the county commissioners, before the county council makes the final appropriations.
