Mental Health a Priority for Nebraska County Officials

By Gordon Hopkins Mental health services will be a priority for NACO (Nebraska Association of County Officials) when the 109th session of the Nebraska Legislature begins on January 8, 2025.Jefferson County Commissioner Mark Schoenrock and Gale Pohlmann both served on the NACO Health and Human Services Committee, which met on December 18, 2024, as part of the NACO conference held in Kearny that week. $15 Million Cut“Probably the biggest issue we talked about was ensuring adequate mental health resources,” said Schoenrock, who gave a report at a meeting of the commissioners on Tuesday, December 31, 2024. “We're going to try to get the $15 million restored that was cut out the last legislative session.”Governor Jim Pillen recommended a $15 million cut to the behavioral health aid base in fiscal year 2024 and 2025 as part of the biennial budget adjustment.Commissioner Pohlmann, who also serves on the board of Apace, formerly Region V, spoke in opposition to the cuts in front of the Appropriations Committee of the Nebraska Legislature in February of 2024.“This reduction of funds for behavioral services is in direct contrast with what we know is a behavioral health crisis occurring statewide. As a county commissioner, we see it in our jail population with individuals waiting in our county jails for spots to open up at the Lincoln Regional Center (LRC)," said Pohlmann. “Every day I see Nebraskans across our community who are experiencing significant mental health and severe substance use issues, and we know there are access issues. This budget reduction would be a significant setback in the regional behavioral health authorities effort to make improvements, cover gaps and needs, improve access and sustain capacity in the recovery oriented system of care.”Other individuals who testified in opposition to Pillen’s proposed cut were Don Lease, county commissioner for Banner County and a member of the Regional One Advisory Committee; Patty Jurjevich, administrator for Region Six Behavioral Health Care; and Tiffany Gressley, regional administrator for Region Three Behavioral Health Services.Despite the opposition, the governor signed the mainline budget bill into law Tuesday, April 2, 2024, which included the proposed $15 million cuts to DHHS (Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services). Need for Behavioral Health ServicesAt the commissioners meeting, Schoenrock pointed out that addressing mental health needs may be more costly in the long run.“Behavioral health, we've talked about that a number of times here in our county board meetings. If we don't have adequate funding to address behavioral health and mental health issues up front, that can lead to a number of different negative things downstream,” Schoenrock said. “When these things are not addressed up front, it leads to negative things like alcohol abuse, drug abuse, spouse abuse, negative things. And a lot of those things then result in somebody getting in trouble with the law. Where do those people end up at? They end up in jail, and taxpayers are paying for that person to just sit there in jail, and we're not helping to actually address the problem.”Schoenrock noted that the county has attempted to pro-actively address mental health, “Our board here in Jefferson County, we have taken action like with our School Attendance Program and our Diversion Program, trying to help address those things. But, again, it comes down to not having adequate resources to provide the actual counseling and the actual resources that people need to address issues.” Blue Valley Mental HealthAt one point, Blue Valley Mental Health was providing mental health services to Jefferson County three days a week. That was cut to twice a week during the COVID pandemic. Despite the end of the pandemic, the service has not returned to three days a week. Pohlmann said that is due to the budget cuts, “Unfortunately, we're not able to get the, well, they call it continual access guarantee funds from DHHS. They cut us.”Those funds are used to provide satellite offices in rural areas. Pohlmann said, “There's concern whether they're going to be able to continue that.”Pohlmann noted that some help will be available locally via Whispering Acres, “Fortunately, Jill (Kuzelka) with Whispering Acres has contracted with this outfit out of Lincoln, and is going to have a therapist with her.”Whispering Acres Trails and Treasures is a non-profit 501(c)3 that provides Equine Assisted Learning (EAL), which is an educational program that is facilitated with individual or small group formats that focus on activities with horses. Opioid Settlement FundsOn July 24, 2021, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson announced a $26 billion multi-state agreement that is intended to bring much needed relief to people across the country who are struggling with opioid addiction. The agreement includes the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors, Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen, as well as and Johnson & Johnson which manufactured and marketed opioids.Pohlmann said that Region V can use some of those opioid funds for setting up a crisis stabilization center. He also said, “And the state is actually, finally, thinking about using the opioid funds for some capital improvements to set up treatment centers. Finally. So, maybe something will get done, and we'll have something more than the Lincoln Regional Center.” New Faces in the LegislatureThere will be 17 new senators when the Nebraska Legislature convenes in 2025. Schoenrock said, “We're going to be very interested to see who actually gets on the Health and Human Services Committee once these committees are announced.”

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