Gov. Butch Otter is recommending funding a third community crisis center in next year’s state budget, at a cost of $1.7 million. Two centers already have been established, one in eastern Idaho and one in North Idaho; Ross Edmunds, administrator of the Division of Behavioral Health for the state Department of Health & Welfare, told legislative budget writers today that the centers are a key part of transforming Idaho’s system of care for those with behavioral health issues. “Over the past few years, we’ve really set upon a path to try to transform the behavioral health system in Idaho,” he said. “We’ve taken several large and very important steps – that’s not to say we’re done.”

Also included in the plan are crisis intervention teams across the state, which partner with law enforcement; regional behavioral health boards in communities; a managed network of providers; and local recovery centers.

Idaho has been seeing increased demands for crisis services, Edmunds said, with the number of protective holds growing from 3,745 in fiscal year 2009 to nearly 5,200 in fiscal 2015. Yet, the number of civil commitments has been relatively stable. “People aren’t reaching the level of needing to be committed, but they’re reaching the level that law enforcement has to do something,” Edmunds said. That “growing gap,” he said, is where community crisis centers come in.

The state’s first crisis center, which opened in December of 2014 in eastern Idaho, already has served 2,349 patients. They stay an average of just under 15 hours; there’s already an estimated $750,000 savings on avoiding emergency and hospitalization costs. The second center, in North Idaho, opened in December of 2015; so far, it’s served 66 patients, had eight law enforcement referrals and four hospital referrals, Edmunds said.

Idaho’s behavioral health system deals with three different populations, he said: People with mental crises, which often are short-term and life-threatening, either to the patient or to others; people dealing with chronic, severe, and debilitating mental health challenges for whom there is no cure; and people with serious mental illness who are a “maintenance” group, needing services like access to medication or checkups.

“Behavioral health is the same as health care – it is a disease,” Edmunds said. “We as a society have to view it in that manner … and treat it accordingly.”

As part of a week of budget hearings on health and human services, JFAC today is examining the budgets for Medicaid, Mental Health Services, and health care policy initiatives, which include the Statewide Healthcare Innovation Plan, or SHIP.

Mental health services is a piece of the Division of Behavioral Health; it comprises 43.3 percent of the division’s total $96.9 million budget request for next year. Psychiatric hospitalization makes up 39.2 percent, and substance abuse services 17.5 percent; lawmakers will hear those budgets later this week. Mental health services are funded 77.2 percent from the state general fund; 20.7 percent from federal funds; and a tiny amount from receipts and dedicated funds.  

At $41.9 million, the governor’s recommendation for mental health programs for next year reflects an 18.7 percent increase in state general funds, with the new crisis center the largest portion of the increase. “I know that the governor has a goal of seeing a crisis center in every region of the state,” Edmunds said, which would eventually bring the number to seven. He said they’ll save money and time for law enforcement, jails, hospitals and more, along with leading to better outcomes for patients.