A one-time participant in Fayette County’s Mental Health Court program says a ripple effect can benefit the community. Staff members presented the latest data to Lexington’s General Government and Social Services Committee last week.
The aim of the court is to see mentally ill non-violent offenders involved in treatment and not jailed. Now on staff, Randy Stafford told the panel one individual success can lead to another. “We can tag statistics and keep track of our participants but what it’s hard to keep track of is if one participant helps five people, then those five people help five people, then we’ve got a movement. Then, we’ve got a recovery movement,” said Stafford.
So far officials say 38 people have graduated from the Mental Health Court program. The report estimated cost savings at close to $5 million primarily through keeping participants out of jail for more than 43,000 days. Jennifer Van Ort-Hazzard came through the program and now serves on staff. “There’s no straight path to wellness and the participant must climb up, sideways, and sometimes fall in the process. Fayette Mental Health Court is there holding the other end of that rope, helps participants fall not quite as far, or even be able to pull them up that last little bit they need to reach the next hold,” noted Van Ort-Hazzard.
A diagram in the report demonstrated the climb to whole person wellness depicting wall climbing spots from housing and substance use treatment to employment and education and family and social skills.
The city council is being asked to approve $200,000 in funding for program operation.
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