HomeMy WebLinkAboutMHTFMinutes_2019_07_22Brookings City/County/School Mental Health Task Force
July 22, 2019
A meeting of the Brookings City/County/School Mental Health Task Force was held
on Monday, July 22, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. in the Brookings City/County Government Center.
Present: Mary Beth Fishback, Nikki Eining, Sylvia Buboltz, Angela Boersma, Debra
DeBates and Craig Pahl. Also present: Brookings Assistant to the City Manager Jacob
Meshke and Brookings County Commission Department Director Stacy Steffensen.
Co-Chairperson Fishback called the meeting to order.
A motion was made by Eining, seconded by DeBates to approve the agenda for the
July 22, 2019 Brookings City/County/School Mental Health Task Force and the minutes
from the June 3, 2019 meeting. All members voted “aye.” Motion carried.
The group discussed the recommendations that will be submitted to the City Council,
Brookings School Board and County Commission. They identified the specific contact
person for each of the recommendations.
Boersma arrived at 12:09 PM.
Eining said they plan to schedule time on a future agenda for each entity to discuss
the final report and recommendations. She noted that it was asked if there was data on
how funding for prevention saved on long-term costs. Pahl said he struggles with the word
“prevention.” He provided a diagram with an inverted pyramid showing that the majority of
mental health concerns cost the least amount of money to treat; and although there are
fewer individuals with severe illnesses, the cost to treat those people is far more expensive.
Eining said that for everyone dollar spent on mental health and/or substance abuse,
96¢ goes toward funding the consequences or outcomes; 2¢ goes toward evidence-based
prevention; and 2¢ goes toward research. Boersma asked about the cost of incarceration.
Eining said that would be part of the 96%.
Fishback said East Central Behavioral Health has a clinician at the jail 4 to 5 hours
per week and meet with inmates who request them. She said they could look at that
information to get some data. Fishback said, in providing these hours, they are trying to
reduce the number of crisis calls they receive from the jail. Pahl asked if she knew the
percentage of those in jail they are seeing. Fishback believed it to be 30-40%. Buboltz
wondered how many were getting missed due to the when they are incarcerated versus
when the clinician is there. Fishback said if a jailer notices a behavior or a conversation
they will reach out to ECBH. But she said they could certainly miss someone.
Pahl said this is only the beginning and they have barely scratched the surface of this
issue. He said he wants to continue to see this topic on the city, school and county’s
agendas. Eining said she could provide a monthly coalition report for the boards.
Fishback asked if the school or county felt that this group was ready to be finished.
DeBates said she has had positive comments amount the results and presentation. She
said she believes the school board is supportive and recognizes the importance, but funding
is an issue with the school district. Boersma said the county’s perspective is very similar.
She said she has heard from people concerned that the survey data didn’t reflect
information from the demographics they were seeking. She thought the coalition could
expand on that over time.
Eining said the coalition will need to decide what additional data they want to collect
and how to collect it. She noted that the task force was time-limited and that is why it is
important to have members from the city, school and county on the coalition to assist in
collecting additional data. Buboltz said they could collect data for the rest of existence on
mental health and never get ahead of the numbers. She said they will need to balance the
data versus doing what is helpful and beneficial. Buboltz said it is hard when the funding
sources want data.
Meshke asked if data could be pulled from providers that would not violate HIPAA
regulations. Eining said she could ask. Pahl said just knowing how many people seek
some form of treatment would be mind-blowing. Fishback said there will be an on-going
needs assessment and the coalition is a good place for that. She said ECBH is required to
conduct a needs assessment which they will now be doing annually, as well.
DeBates asked about setting a timeline for the city, school and county appointments
to the coalition. Meshke asked when the recommendations would be ready. Steffensen
said a good time to make the appointments would be when the recommendations are
submitted. Fishback said she hopes to have the draft finished in the next two weeks. She
will send the draft out to the task force members to review.
This is the last meeting of the Brookings City, School and County Mental Health Task
Force.
A motion to adjourn was made by Boersma, seconded by Eining. All members voted
“aye.” Motion carried.
Submitted by Commission Department Director
Stacy Steffensen