During Visit to Franklin County, Gov. Nixon Discusses How Missouri's Mental Health Initiative Helps Thousands Get the Care They Need

Press Release

During a roundtable discussion with local law enforcement and mental health care professionals in Franklin County today, Gov. Jay Nixon discussed how a strategic initiative launched two years ago to strengthen Missouri's mental health system is continuing to yield significant results. To date, there have been more than 14,000 contacts between Community Mental Health Liaisons, law enforcement and the courts, with 7,500 referrals to mental health services.

"Our mental health care initiative supports health and safety by connecting people in crisis with a health care professional, before a situation becomes dangerous for law enforcement officers or the public," Gov. Nixon said. "In just over a year since its implementation, this initiative is already producing meaningful results in communities across the state."

In Fiscal Year 2014, the Governor proposed and implemented a strategic initiative to help communities identify and care for Missourians with severe mental illness. One key goal was to provide additional training and resources to local law enforcement officers who are often called to respond to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

In addition to placing 31 mental health liaisons at the state's Community Mental Health Centers, the initiative also included an expansion of Crisis Intervention and Mental Health First-Aid training and resources for emergency room intervention teams to work with patients needing coordinated care.

Joining the Governor today was Dr. Daniel Isom, director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety. Director Isom is a veteran law enforcement officer, having joined the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in 1988, and was promoted through the ranks before being appointed as the department's 33rd Chief in October 2008, a post he held until his retirement in 2013.

"In both rural and urban communities, there are Missourians who need access to mental health care, and in many cases, have needed it for quite awhile," Director Isom said. "Often times, law enforcement officers know these folks, and have struggled to get them the help they need. But with this initiative, law enforcement officers, the courts, and health care providers are able to work together to help get people the care they need, before they harm themselves or others."

The State of Missouri is also moving forward with rebuilding the crumbling Fulton State Mental Hospital. Opened in 1851, Fulton State Hospital is the oldest state psychiatric hospital west of the Mississippi River and houses the state's only maximum security psychiatric facility. The Biggs Forensic Center at Fulton treats patients with serious mental illness who are committed by Missouri courts for evaluation and treatment related to a crime, or who have seriously assaulted patients or staff in other state psychiatric hospitals. Since 2007, Fulton State Hospital has taken in more than 1,500 admissions from 100 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.

Gov. Nixon's Fiscal Year 2015 budget included the funds for a strategic bond issuance to support the construction of a new high security forensic psychiatric facility in Fulton that will be safer and more conducive to modern treatment. The Legislature agreed with this priority and appropriated the necessary funding. In the fall of 2014, Missouri's Office of Administration announced the issuance of an initial $92 million in bonds to support the rebuilding of Fulton State Hospital. Construction of the facility is expected to begin in the late spring/early summer of 2015 and be completed in 2017.

The Governor also spoke about the need to stop the flow of Missourians' tax dollars to other states by expanding and reforming Medicaid. A report from the Missouri Department of Mental Health found that nearly 50,000 of the 300,000 working Missourians who would gain coverage under Medicaid expansion need mental health services.

"At the end of the day, we cannot fully address Missourians' mental and physical health care needs without reforming and strengthening Medicaid," Gov. Nixon said. "I am hopeful that this session, Missouri lawmakers will search their hearts and listen to their constituents, and finally move forward on Medicaid reform."

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