ranked the lowest state in the country in access to mental health care, accord- ing to annual reports from Mental Health America released those years. Multiple house bills have been led during the 88th legislative session regarding mental health in state facilities and jails. House Joint Resolution 90 led Jan. 26 by Rep. Elizabeth Campos, D San Antonio, proposed the use of general obliga- tion bonds to fund the construction, expansion and maintenance of state mental health facilities. Meanwhile, state Rep. David Spiller, R Jacksboro, led HB 2233 on Feb. 13 to require mental health awareness training for rst responders. “This has been an issue that’s probably been going on for decades; the state has never adequately funded mental health resources,” Sebesta said. “It’s not a sexy topic; it’s an expensive topic, so it’s not going to get as much attention in Austin as it needs to get.” Rachel Carlton contributed to this report
amounts associated with the type of charges that can be led [or] whether there’s any movement on the mental health side.” The cost on counties The buildup of inmates and state sta ng issues
we’re having to pay local tax dollars to house those inmates when they should be in the state system,” Sebesta said. Sebesta said it costs counties about $51 a day per person to house people that await transfer to a state facil- ity. He said their transfer allows for
Comparing states On a national level, the state of Texas ranks lower than most other states in spending on mental health care and access to care.
Texas ranks 51 out of 51* in the country in access to mental health care.
state and fed- eral programs to help cover their needs without use of local tax dollars to fund hold- ing people at the jail, which he said adds up quickly. “There are some programs that [the state] can utilize with them that are not available to
force the county to foot the bill for people await- ing transfer. Sebesta said holding inmates for the state costs the county a sig- ni cant amount. He called for the state to reim- burse coun- ties for holding inmates that are ready to be transferred into
“THERE’S NOWHERE FOR THESE PEOPLE TO GO. ... SO IF WE DON’T HAVE A PLAN TO GET THAT POPULATION OUT, IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW MANY BEDS WE BUILD.” KRISHNAVENI GUNDU, TEXAS JAIL PROJECT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
TEXAS SPENDING ON MENTAL HEALTH CARE VERSUS NATIONAL AVERAGE
$140
$119.62
$120
$80
$40.65
$40
state systems, where inmates can receive specialized care that counties may not be able to provide. “We end up holding a lot of their inmates for too long. … When they don’t take them in a timely manner, we’re still hanging on to them, and folks are being double taxed because
us when they’re in our care,” Sebesta said. “When they are in our care, they are completely on the taxpay- ers’ dime for all their medications [and] health care needs.” The bigger picture In both 2022 and 2023, Texas was
$0
Texas National average
SOURCES: MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA, TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES COMMUNITY IMPACT *INCLUDES D.C.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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