The Lake County Sheriff’s Office recently announced that the Lake County Adult Detention Facility has received a reimbursement of $141,752 for medications and $4,981 for treatment to assist with opioid addiction.
The facility houses an average of 385 people per day.
The funding, through the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, provides high-quality mental health resources and addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery systems, according to the office.
As part of the services, the grant provides reimbursement to counties for the cost of certain psychotropic drugs and opioid addictive drugs that are dispensed to inmates of county jails in Ohio, in efforts to assist with mental illness and substance use disorders.
The jail system has two full-time mental health consultants and a part-time psychiatrist employed by Crossroads Health, Inc., noted Administrator Deputy Capt. Cynthia L. Brooks.
“The mental health consultants are responsible for the screening of incoming prisoners for significant psychological issues and illnesses, whether it be from depression, suicide risk, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, or any other form of psychological illness or distress,” she said.
“They screen and prioritize inmates who need to see the psychiatrist, and the psychiatrist will (then) evaluate the referred inmate and determine a treatment plan which may include the use of medication,” Brooks added.
The consultants also supervise the placement of inmates into the designated mental health/special needs housing unit.
The consultants respond to inmates in mental health crises, in addition to monitoring the status of inmates on the mental health caseload, including those referred by the Lake County Courts.
The funding comes as correctional facilities throughout the United States continue to witness a dramatic increase in the mental health needs of the expanded inmate population, Brooks and Sheriff Frank Leonbruno noted, adding county mental health professionals received 1,230 referrals in 2021 and 1,903 referrals in 2020.
“These referrals often come from inmates themselves, but can also come from corrections staff and other entities outside of the jail,” Brooks said.
Referrals are made for several reasons, primarily requests to see and talk with the mental health consultant and to obtain medication.
According to the office, there were a total of 511 people on the caseload of mental health consultants in 2021.
“This reimbursement funding is critical for our continued efforts to provide mental health and addiction services in our jail facility,” Leonbruno said. “We’re making a big investment and it’s beneficial to the community that taxpayers aren’t carrying the bulk of that cost. We’re glad for and thank the state for filtering money back and for also investing in treatment exposures and housing needs.”
The office also thanked the Lake County ADAMHS Board for its “critical support” in acquiring the grant.
