Mental health of jail inmates now county's concern

 

Responsibility for the mental health of inmates at the Jackson County Jail has fallen to the county, it has been reported, and officials and staff are looking for ways to improve those services to inmates here.

At Monday’s Jackson County Commission meeting, David Elsbury, KANZA Mental Health and Guidance Center Inc. CEO, outlined the types of services offered by KANZA to inmates at the county jail. Also present at the meeting were Jail Sergeant Steve Buck and Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse. 

From Jan. 2 to Nov. 18, KANZA provided 36 mental health counseling sessions at the jail. Of those, 34 were face-to-face sessions and two were completed using televideo. 

During that same time period, 12 admission evaluations were held, with 11 conducted in person and one completed using televideo. 

“KANZA does offer the inmate the option of having the admission evaluation appointment provided by televideo in order to do so faster,” Elsbury said. “If the inmate declines the televideo delivery, the session is then scheduled face-to-face on a routine basis, typically within the next five to seven days.”

A total of eight crisis screenings were held from January to Nov. 18, and all of those inmates were evaluated using televideo. 

“The primary purpose of this crisis service is to assess and ensure the safety of the client and others and to emotionally and behaviorally stabilize,” he said. “These purposes can be accomplished by televideo effectively.” 

Elsbury said that televideo is used for crisis services in order to reduce travel for the providers, time loss for that travel and appointment cancellations that often occur due to crisis work. He said that KANZA had reduced clinical staff turnover since implementing televideo.

Elsbury said that inmates who receive mental health services from KANZA prior to being incarcerated can request to continue to receive services while in prison. KANZA staff do not evaluate or seek out patients in the jail, but only serve inmates that request services, it was reported.

“I can think of five or six inmates right now off the top of my head that should be receiving counseling,” Jail Sergeant Buck said. “The jail has become a dumping ground for the mentally unstable. These people are not well, and there’s no place to send them anymore so we have to find a way to serve these people.”

Buck said he is not in favor of televideo for crisis counseling, calling it a “poor alternative.” 

“Mental health is a growing need in a correctional facility, and I don’t know what the alternative should be,” he said. 

In non-crisis situations, Buck said that a face-to-face appointment with a KANZA staff member can take between one to two weeks to occur.

“It’s frustrating because my inmates are not getting what they need right away,” Buck said.

 Elsbury said that the wait for non-crisis mental health services for both inmates and the general public is the same.

“For members of the general public, it is going to take at least a week to 10 days to get seen for a routine appointment,” Elsbury said. 

In crisis situations – when a person is suicidal or excessively psychotic – Elsbury said special considerations are taken to see patients within 24 hours, either face-to-face or by televideo.

Buck said he wants more consistent care at the jail.

“We need someone constant – someone I can see every week,” Buck said. “I need someone that I know will be there at a certain time that I can talk to about inmates.”

Commissioner Janet Zwonitzer asked Elsbury if KANZA had considered hiring an additional person to manage mental health services at the four jails in the counties that KANZA serves. 

Elsbury said he would consider it, but did not think it could be a full-time position.

A total of $67,000 is allocated in county funds to KANZA each year. 

“Part of those funds are used for overhead,” Elsbury said. “Part of those funds are used to support the sliding fee scale for patients who don’t have Medicaid or health insurance. Another part is used to make crisis services available.”

Currently, the jail receives separate physical health care services through a company called Advanced Correctional Healthcare of Illinois. The provider staffs a part-time nurse at the jail and personnel have access to doctors 24 hours a day, seven days a week to discuss the health of inmates. 

In recent weeks, upon request, Morse presented a bid from Advanced Correctional Healthcare for three mental health staffing options to hire a QMHP (Qualified Mental Health Professional) for one year. 

The bids were:

* Three hours weekly (in person) at a cost of $7,709.12.

* Four hours every other week (in person) at a cost of $5,177.74.

* Five hours every other week (in person) at a cost of $6,443.43.

No actions were taken on those bids. 

According to jail records, as of Tuesday, there are 93 inmates at the jail. Of those, 63 were arrested by law enforcement agencies in Jackson County.

The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

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