CRISIS: This is just the beginning

The legislature is finally paying notice to the lack of Idaho’s mental health resources and the taxing hours and cost of local law enforcement. While the proposal for building emergency crisis centers across Idaho is a step in the right direction, it is still missing the mark of ways to possibly make simpler changes and saving budget dollars while the crisis center debate goes on.

One of the biggest issues is the cost of local law enforcement and taxing hours responding to mental health calls. Last year, Coeur d’Alene spent 800 hours on protective custody calls. Sheriff Ben Wolfinger discussed the effect of how mental health hold delays cost the region thousands of dollars in officer salary and transport expenses.

This is what I find ironic. All this money, all these hours and response calls, yet neither the sheriff’s office or the Coeur d’Alene Police Department has had any specialty training about mental health and how it presents in crisis situations, in turn usually escalating the response when things could have been much simpler for all parties involved. The backup with the bed situation, lack of designated examiners, and an addition of a mental health specialist partnered with the law enforcement may avert a lot of holds.

Yes, it’s a step in the right direction to add more beds and centers. Better follow-up care is also a significant need. However, in the meantime, there are a number of more immediate changes that could be made statewide, while everything is literally under construction.

FAITH HINSHAW

Coeur d’Alene