County told new mental health pact being drafted

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News

With no business items on their agenda, Thursday?s meeting of the Henry County Board of Supervisors dealt solely with subcommittee reports.

Supervisor Chairman Marc Lindeen briefed his peers on Wednesday?s monthly meeting of the Southeast Iowa Link (SEIL), the regional mental health group serving Henry and adjacent counties.

Lindeen said SEIL board members approved spending a portion of fiscal year funding for crisis intervention training in the region.

Two Fairfield police officers and one Burlington patrolman, Lindeen said, recently received 40 hours of crisis intervention training and were able to put that training to use within two weeks after completing the course.

Crisis intervention training is becoming the focus of mental health professionals for law enforcement officers. The training gives those attending pointers on how to successfully deal with subjects with mental health issues.

Lindeen said that a new 28E agreement between the counties and the region is being drafted and when finished, will be submitted to county boards of supervisors for their approval.

The new agreement allows the possible pooling of all mental health funds from the counties to the region to be dispersed.

County Auditor Shelly Barber noted the law has changed on bearing the costs of mental health care. Previously, counties only had to provide mental health funding for residents of their particular county. Now, counties have to provide funding whether or not the person is a resident of the county.

Supervisors meet again in regular session Tuesday, April 18, at 9 a.m., in the Henry County Courthouse.