Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
AUBURN – The Association of County Commissions of Alabama plans to make a push on mental health issues in the 2024 session of the Alabama Legislature.
The organization, holding its annual meeting in Auburn this week, plans to support expansion of residential treatment facilities; improved training for corrections officers on mental health crises; additional funding for a 988-suicide hotline, and 15 more mental health crisis units.
“In most counties, we are unable to respond to that cry out for help because there are no beds for treatment for those persons,” said Sonny Brasfield, executive director of the ACCA, on Wednesday.
Brasfield said in many cases, families will first approach a local probate judge to get help for a loved one in a mental health crisis.
“The probate judge faces himself, saying ‘gosh, yes, this person needs to be committed,’” Brasfield said. ‘“I have nowhere for the person to go. I will put him in line, take him back home.’”
If that person develops additional problems, Brasfield said, a family may end up calling law enforcement, which places the person in a detention center, which could worsen the issues.
ACCA set a goal to add 3,200 additional beds for those going through a mental health crisis that will require an additional $30 million.
“We begin that effort today,” Brasfield said. “And tomorrow, we are setting that as our goal.”
The ACCA held two sessions on mental health at a meeting on Wednesday. The first presentation was given by Monroe County Commissioner Justin Sawyer, who was part of an effort by second-term commissioners who reviewed potential issues they wanted to address.
The group, the PLAN 2024 Leadership Program, decided to make mental health a priority.
“We unanimously said we wanted to tackle mental health, but when we said it, we really didn’t know what to do,” Sawyer said.
Members of the group surveyed probate judges for their thoughts. According to a handout passed out to participants on Wednesday, 92% of the judges in the different counties wanted more long-term care options and resources. 72% wanted better non-residential services and programs, and 61% of those surveyed wanted to expand involuntary commitment authority.
Many of the judges said they conducted mental health hearings at least days of the week.
From there, the group developed the priority list, which included better access to long-term care, expanded mental health training for employers and law enforcement, as well as increasing the number of mental health officers, placing one in all 67 counties.
Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, who chairs the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee, followed and spoke of efforts to fund the 988 hotline during the prior year’s session.
“That really was to take care of the operations of the projected six crisis centers in Alabama,” Reynolds said.
The bill would have funded the 988 line through a surcharge on cell phone lines. The proposal drew opposition from the telecommunications industry, and ultimately did not pass. Reynolds said he plans to file the bill again in next year’s session.
The ACCA meeting will continue on Thursday.
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