Group seeks to establish mental health resource center in Idaho County

GRANGEVILLE — When someone is suffering a mental health crisis, nearby access to resources can mean the difference between defusing a dangerous situation and disaster.

A group of Idaho and Lewis county officials met recently to discuss the possibility of establishing a recovery, crisis or outreach center in Idaho County. Currently, there is a crisis center in Lewiston, a recovery center in Moscow and an outreach center in Orofino.

There are no such resources in Idaho or Lewis counties.

“The need is to have community-based resources as close to you as possible,” said Jim Rehder, of Cottonwood, chairman of the Region 2 Behavioral Health Board.

Not having nearby services, Rehder said, “could be a life-changing experience and you need support to help when you have the tendency to relapse. Driving long distances is not a successful way to keep people out of hospitals, jails and prisons.”

Kirstin Jensen, the University of Idaho Extension educator for Idaho County, is at the forefront of a push to bring mental health awareness to people in Idaho County.

The need is urgent, Jensen said. The state of Idaho ranks fifth in the nation for suicides and suicide risk, and Idaho County is near the top of the list for those emergencies in the state.

“There’s really, really a need for it and Idaho County is ranked fifth in the state for risk of suicide and deaths by suicide,” Jensen said.

Two or three years ago, she said, UI Extension got involved with a national farm- and ranch-related mental health program after officials began noticing a rise in suicides among ranchers and farmers around the nation.

“That led to awareness of the National Council for Mental Wellness (that was) offering mental health first aid training,” Jensen said.

Through the program, instructors become certified in adult and youth mental health issues and then offer classes to community volunteers who train to become mental health “first aiders,” she said.

“You are instructing individuals how to recognize signs and symptoms of different behavioral health issues and/or disorders,” Jensen said. “And (to be able to) try to step in and offer an ear to listen, know how to talk to the person, and be able to encourage them to get self-help or additional professional help.”

These classes are for volunteers and they are not being trained to become professional counselors, she said.

“You’re training them as the first responder for mental health. And it’s been shown to be extremely effective because a lot of times people with mental health issues or disorders are really just looking for someone to just notice. Or maybe just looking for someone to talk to.

“And, obviously, you learn about dealing with anxiety and depression and substance abuse and then how (when those problems) go untreated that can lead to increased risk of suicide.”

Jensen began offering the classes in Grangeville until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which shut them down. Currently, she is planning to offer training to the Idaho County Sheriff’s Office staff and other courthouse employees.

At this point, Rehder said, the group that is hoping to establish a recovery/crisis center in Idaho County is involved in trying to identify mental health professionals who could anchor the project. The next step would be locating a place for such a center; obtaining funding through the Idaho Legislature or other avenues; and then seeking volunteers who would help staff the center.

“Most folks with (mental health crises) end up in hospitals, which is an unsafe environment for one in crisis but also (unsafe) for staff at the facility who are mostly not trained in that field,” Rehder said.

“So volunteers that have been in (the client’s) situation can more easily relate to them and get them on a path of consistency and recovery,” he said.

Joyce Lyons, project manager for Rural Crisis Network in District 2, has assured the group that money for such a project can be found and whatever kind of center is established in Idaho County would be patterned after the centers in Lewiston or Moscow.

“Behavioral health is extremely complex,” Rehder said. “In people’s minds, you can’t measure how to keep somebody from reusing (substances) or helping somebody in a mental health episode. That’s why it’s difficult to get funding for these things.

“But recovery centers are starting to show their worth because of how many (people) they are dealing with. … Keeping the services as close to the individual as possible is our objective.”

Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.