On Friday, four different counties, Worth, Nodaway, Gentry, and Holt Counties signed an agreement to form a mental health task force for the area. This is a step that was long overdue.
We have noticed a pattern in going over the court cases. Frequently, it is the same people getting in trouble over and over again. We don’t know everyone’s circumstances, but if one person a year is saved from a vicious cycle where they are brought into court time and time again, and they can’t drive and can’t find work, then it would be worth it. Back in our Northwest days, we know people personally that the system at the time failed. If one person a year is saved from getting kicked out of school or being forced to give up their dreams, it would be worth it.
The problem is that for years, there has been too much of a stigma in talking about mental health. We all have a breaking point. We all have to recognize it and how to stay away. Our system has to provide people with the resources they need to stay away from our breaking points.
One of the first things we learned about grant funding when we started doing the paper is that groups of people are more likely to get grant funding than a single entity. Doing it this way will mean that the area as a whole will be more likely to get resources than if Worth County and each of the other three counties involved had gone it alone.
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