NATCHEZ, Miss. –Adams County has insufficient mental-health services and must come up with a plan to address this, according to a report presented to county supervisors Tuesday.
Funding shortages and the lack of qualified mental-health professionals are resulting in poor services for people with a variety of needs, ranging from stress counseling to drug rehabilitation, according to representatives of the state Department of Mental Health and the regional agency that serves southwest Mississippi.
The Adams County Board of Supervisors, along with eight other neighboring counties, provides funds to A Clear Path of Southwest Mississippi Behavioral Health, the public-private agency that relies on government grants, Medicaid and private dollars to pay for mental-health services.
The McComb-based agency has facilities in Natchez, including an eight-bed crisis-stabilization unit it opened late last year in a former medical clinic on Jeff Davis Boulevard.
The $77,000 that Adams County annually allocates to the Southwest Mississippi Behavioral Health agency is more than what most other regional counties give, according to what county supervisors were told Tuesday. However, more money is needed.
Adams County supervisors said they need more information on what more they need to do. “We want to come into compliance, but if we don’t know the tools needed, we won’t be able to come up with a plan,” said Supervisor Warren Gaines.
While the boards of the seven other counties are being told of the region’s inadequate mental-health care, Adams County is the first being approached by the mental-healthcare officials because of its importance.
Southwest Mississippi Behavioral Health Executive Director Sherlene Vince said she’s working on a plan to correct deficiencies, which includes finding more funds. She noted low pay and difficulties getting qualified personnel are among the issues hampering the agency’s abilities to serve the area.
If a plan is not prepared by late March or early April, the state could step in to develop corrective measures, said Mississippi Department of Mental Health representative Steven Allen.
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