Crisis Stabilization Beds
I was successful today in getting my amendment through the House of Representatives that will fund Crisis Stabilization Beds for the mentally ill. (2nd Reading Amendment #28) Under the present system if a person has a mental health incident in which the State involuntary commits the person, they are transported to the State Hospital in Evanston. Crisis Stabilization beds allow the person to be stabilized in their own communities rather than being sent to the State Hospital. This is part of the ongoing effort to regionalize the delivery of mental health services in our state. The state has been divided into 5 regions, and we are trying to fund each region to have the same services in each region.
I am co-chair, along with Senator Aullman, of the Select Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse and this was part of the plan that we put forth earlier this year. We believe that this will serve the patient better and in the long run save the state money, because we will not have to spend so much money at the State Hospital in Evanston. This is a very important step toward improving our mental health system in Wyoming.