Wyoming legislation addressing long mental health holds in jails cleared its first hurdle in the House with a unanimous vote. Senate File 10, titled “Contracts for holding and treating mentally ill detainees,” emerged from a growing problem where detention centers have been forced to house people with mental illnesses while they wait for beds at the state hospital.
The Wyoming Department of Health currently lacks statutory authority to reimburse sheriffs for the cost of housing and providing mental health services to these individuals. SF 10, sponsored by the Joint Judiciary Committee, aims to change that by allowing the health department to enter into contracts with detention centers and reimburse them for holding and treating inmates with mental illnesses until they receive competency evaluations or restoration.
According to the health department director, the inpatient wait time at the Wyoming State Hospital for competency evaluation or restoration is approximately five months, while outpatient evaluations can take 30 to 45 days. The Joint Appropriations Committee designated $5 million in the budget bill for the health department to fund these reimbursements over the next two years, though the status of this appropriation remains pending.
The bill aims to address multiple related issues. A telepsychiatry pilot program launched approximately one year ago provides law enforcement with access to trained clinicians through smart tablets, helping officers better interact with people in mental health crises. According to the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police, “We’ve seen clients stabilize and go back to the general population. Essentially, we don’t need to proceed with the Title 7 process, because we’ve been able to do that restoration or stabilization locally.”
Staff shortages at the state hospital contribute to the backlog. Approximately 18 months ago, the state hospital had about 50% vacancy rate for CNAs; this has improved to about 15%, but the hospital operates as an 80-bed facility despite having 104 beds dedicated to mental health patients. The Joint Appropriations Committee approved an $1.9 million appropriation to raise nurse salaries at one health facility as a pilot project to address staffing issues.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/smooth-sailing-so-far-for-bill-to-address-long-mental-health-holds-in-jails/article_299421a4-e39f-4ad6-96b6-08ebbc875bd1.html