State to stop funding mental healthcare for inmates
TRAVERSE CITY -- Some big concerns are on the table for Grand Traverse County officials. They’re worried the state might stop funding mental health services for jail inmates leaving them with the bill.
Greg Paffhouse, CEO of Northern Lakes Community Mental Health says, “Last year in the Grand Traverse County Jail, we had over a thousand contacts with people inside the jail."
It’s a service both Grand Traverse County officials and Paffhouse agree on. Many inmates need psychiatric care.
Paffhouse says, “Will the services be provided or won’t they? Will they not get the services? No one wants that to happen, people would get angry. Bad things could happen.”
That’s the county’s main concern. Who will have to pay for the services in the future? In the past, mental health services for jail inmates were paid for by the state’s general fund. Last year the attorney general issued an opinion stating that the county should foot the bill. So far that hasn’t happened because the state is giving community mental health services time to prepare, but that time is running out. Starting next October the counties may have to pay.
Paffhouse says, “That decision was met with great concern in terms of counties don't have money to pay for jail services.”
Right now, Grand Traverse County already pays $682,200 a year for mental health services for the community as a whole. Commissioners say taking on inmate costs as well would be too much and they would have to consider outsourcing to find cheaper services.
