Benton County commissioners consider committee on mental health services

Benton County commissioners are considering forming a committee to develop a blueprint for how mental health services will be offered in the Tri-Cities in the future.

The move would be another step toward privatizing mental health care, a plan all three commissioners showed support for during a Tuesday meeting.

The committee would be comprised of mental health professionals from area service providers, said Commissioner Shon Small. The team would be responsible for coming up with a detailed plan tailored toward serving the needs of area patients.

Small told the Herald he has confidence a group of Tri-City officials can put together the best possible plan.

“We are very proud of our local providers,” he said. “These guys think and sleep, eat and breathe mental health.”

Commissioners Jerome Delvin and James Beaver were in favor of moving forward with developing a plan.

However, commissioners first want to hold a bicounty meeting with Franklin County officials to see if they are on board. Commissioners from both counties last met over the summer to discuss the issue.

Rick Miller, Franklin County commissioner, said he plans to bring up the topic at his board’s meeting Wednesday to gauge if fellow commissioners are interested in privatization.

“I think it should be looked at, and actually I think it’s a good idea,” Miller said.

Benton and Franklin counties are tasked with providing mental health services through the human services department, a bicounty agency.

Having the counties in charge of mental health services is a major liability and isn’t the most effective way of offering care, officials say.

Small called a special meeting last week to discuss the possibility of privatizing care, a move the commissioner claims will increase services and get the county in line with the state’s vision for health care.

Commissioners from Walla Walla and Yakima, as well as Rick Weaver from Central Washington Comprehensive Mental Health, which provides care to mentally ill patients across the regions, spoke at the meeting.

All voiced support for such a move, saying it has led to better care for patients and reduced costs.

Weaver urged local officials to develop a plan for mental health care locally. He said if no plan is created, officials could risk losing control over how mental health care programs are run.

Small is hopeful a potential bicounty meeting will lead to a collaborative effort to privatize, he said.

“We will see what the feeling is between the two counties,” Small said. “Hopefully we are in agreement. I would like to do this hand in hand.”

This story was originally published November 3, 2015 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Benton County commissioners consider committee on mental health services."