Idaho Gov: Expand Mental Health Services for Kids

By William L. Spence

Feb. 03--The expansion of children's mental health services is just part of an even broader transformation of behavioral health services in Idaho.

Other improvements include expanding community and residential treatment options for adults, addressing the needs of felony probationers and parolees to reduce recidivism, and constructing a new adolescent mental health facility in the Treasure Valley.

Specific line items in the division's fiscal 2018 mental health and psychiatric hospital budgets include:

Felony probation and parole--Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter is recommending $11.2 million to provide contracted mental health services to about 7,400 felony offenders who have a moderate to high risk of recidivism. The contract amounts to $1,300 per year, per person, or $126 per person per month.

"It's not a lot of money, but we believe we can use it very efficiently," said Ross Edmunds, administrator of the Department of Health and Welfare's Behavioral Health Division.

State law requires the department to provide mental health services for felony probationers and parolees, he said. The court system determines who is eligible and what type of services are required.

The expectation is that investing in these services ultimately will save the state money by reducing recidivism.

Residential treatment options--The governor is recommending $2 million for a pilot program to provide a group home setting for individuals who can't live independently.

"We want to keep people in their communities," Edmunds said. "We're looking at 50 to 100 beds in the pilot program. These would be five- to 10-bed facilities, so we're talking multiple facilities across the state."

Treatment services, such as group therapy sessions, also would be available. The intent is to help people transition to greater independence in an environment that's substantially cheaper than state hospitals, which cost about $500 per person, per day.

Secure mental health facility--Given a sharp increase in the number of violent patients committed by the court system, the state wants to expand the number of "secure" beds at State Hospital South -- rooms that have increased security features to protect staff and other patients.

The $10.3 million plan includes building a new, 16-bed adolescent mental health center in the Treasure Valley. The adolescent unit at State Hospital South would then be transferred to the new facility, allowing the old unit to be refurbished into a new, 20-bed secure facility.

To address short-term needs, the governor is recommending a $296,000 expenditure to expand the number of contracted beds at the Department of Correction from three to nine.

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