Annie Burwell speaks to the RR Sertoma Club on mental health.
Many improvements have been made to the mental health system in our county since the task force began. These include the creation of MOT and also a team of specially trained mental health deputies called the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). These officers work hand in hand with MOT. Also, last year we opened the San Gabriel Respite Center, the first residential treatment center for the mentally ill in the county. This center is for those who need a “respite” from their daily lives, usually following a mental health crisis. Admittance to the center is voluntary and most patients stay for three to seven days. The center is located near San Gabriel Park in Georgetown and is a program of Bluebonnet Trails MHMR. Commissioner Valerie Covey and I worked with Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan) and Rep. Dan M. Gattis (R-Georgetown) to obtain state funding for the respite center, as not only is it a better treatment option for some patients but also because it saves money. It is less expensive that a stay in the state hospital or a local emergency room and has proven to help many patients become stable enough to return home.
Since the inception of these programs, we have not only provided more appropriate treatment for mentally ill patients, but we have also saved approximately $3.2 million. For example, a typical twelve day stay in the state mental hospital is about $3700 plus medications, with another $500 if an ambulance is used. However, a typical crisis intervention on scene with a follow up visit to a mental health professional costs about $400. Plus, we have diverted many non-violent offenders with mental illness from the county jail into more appropriate settings.
The next improvement to our mental health system is a new website, www.wilcomentalhealth.org/, that will give patients and their loved ones information on local options for treatment for the mental illnesses. Ms. Burwell and I have spoken to several groups of citizens lately about our mental health system and the new website, including the Round Rock Sertoma Club and the Greater Round Rock West Neighborhood Association (GRRWNA). Both groups were very receptive to the information and excited about the new website. The website is still being tested so if you would like to review it and send me any comments, we would use them to better the site.
As an aside, John Gordon, potential candidate for HD 52, attended the GRRWNA meeting earlier this week, where I was the speaker along with Ms. Burwell. He greeted several neighborhood residents that he knew and actively participated in the discussion.
For more information: go to www.wilcomentalhealth.org/
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