For years the topic of mental health has been on the agenda in joint City/County/County meetings between representatives of the City of Manhattan, Riley County Board of Commissioners and Pottawatomie County Board of Commissioners.
Thursday afternoon, mental health and facilities for it were again discussed and Manhattan City Commissioner Mike Dodson said it’s time to take steps forward.
“The Mayor just mentioned that the common problem we have is continuing to discuss the issue,” he said. “Somebody has got to put something on the table that we can all look at. Who is that person.”
That person was Pawnee Mental Health Executive Director Robin Cole.
“I would suggest that that body already exists,” she said. “Because of Pawnee already serving a 10-county area, we already have an eye that goes outside Riley County.”
Local leaders, representatives from Via Christi Health, Riley County Police Department Director Brad Schoen and Kansas National Alliance on Mental Illness Executive Director Rick Cagan all cited a lack of state funding as the main problem in combating the issue.
David Wichman, a doctor in behavioral health at Via Christi, said that lack of funding translates to a lack of resources to help those in need and cited not having enough beds for the mentally ill. Local leaders also said a jail cell is also not a viable solution for those in need and jails are often ill-equipped to handle those suffering mental health issues.
There was also discussion about are governments partnering with Via Christi in the construction of a facility staffed with doctors and psychiatrists who specialize in dealing with the mental health matters.
