BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE AUTAUGA NEWS
The Elmore County Commission has established a Mental Health Task Force to discuss mental health issues facing citizens.
The panel is made up of subject matter experts and practitioners.
In a release from the Commission, it reads, “As a national dialogue continues, the connection of available resources to local needs continues to be slow, but conversations amongst members of this task force are designed to connect available resources to areas of need, identify gaps in resources available to meet local needs, and provide a guide for our community’s continuum of care for mental health.”
Among that panel is County Commissioner Desirae Lewis Jackson, who serves as the chair of the Mental Health Task Force.
“We have so many groups who are working diligently to address the mental health needs of our county. The task force is geared to develop connections and aid in the formulation of an action plan to address mental health care in our communities,” she said in a statement within the Commission’s press release.
We reached out to her for further comments as well.
“Unfortunately, we have a mental health crisis in our nation. Elmore County isn’t immune,” she told the EAN.
“Whether it’s a lack of resources being available creating situations where our county jail and Sheriff’s department is being asked to deal with situations they shouldn’t be. Or it’s our student population dealing with the complexities of our world, the County Commission is trying to help create a road map to leverage our local resources. We want to address the challenges our community is facing. Some of the problems are more evident than others, but our first meeting shed light on many ways that current resources could be utilized better and ways that our partnerships can be leveraged to make some impactful investments in our citizens.”
Anyone with questions related to the Elmore County Mental Health Task Force can contact the Commission at eccquestions@elmoreco.org
Or, you can call the County Commission office at 334-514-5841.
