COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – Columbus City Council has approved additional funding for mental health services at the Muscogee County Jail. Muscogee County Sherriff, Greg Countryman has always been transparent on the magnitude of inmates in the Muscogee County Jail that struggle with mental health. The goal is to get people the help they need and ease the cost on taxpayers.
The City of Columbus has selected a one year contract with New Horizons Behavioral Health.
“Jails and prisons are the largest mental health facilities in the whole state.”
Greg Countryman, Muscogee County Sheriff
Following the approval from council, New Horizons will now make bi-monthly visits to the Muscogee County Jail.
“Out of the 11-hundred inmates that we have in our jail, we probably have close to 300 that are receiving mental health medication. We probably have 60 of those individuals that should not be in jail, they should be under some sort of medical care, constant care.”
Greg Countryman, Muscogee County Sheriff
New Horizons will now provide consultations and contract administration in the amount of $500.00 per month.
“Then we have deputies and correctional officers that have to care for this individual. That have to care for this person’s physical needs, his medical needs, his mental health needs. “
Greg Countryman, Muscogee County Sheriff
There will also be access available to employees at the prison. The nursing staff will be able to access New Horizons on a need basis, through phone consultations. Sheriff Countryman says the mental health issues within county jails come at a heavy cost to taxpayers.
“A person can be in jail for 10 days, but if the citizens are spending 10-thousand dollars on this person, that’s a burden to the taxpayer and to the local taxpayer. That doesn’t come out of the state budget, that’s a local budget issue.”
Greg Countryman, Muscogee County Sheriff
Countryman says we need to address this issue on the front end so its is not an additional burden to taxpayers on the back end. The sheriff says, with every budget, he is working to implement more mental health training for his deputies.