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For the first time in years, money is available in Nevada County to nip mental illness early and prevent suicide.
In two weeks, Nevada County will collect nearly $1.5 million from the state for mental health prevention and intervention programs in area schools and health clinics.
This approach is a departure from the usual reactionary treatment of mental illness, said county director of Behavioral Health Michael Heggarty.
The pot of money generated by a 1 percent tax on millionaires began accumulating three years ago when voters approved Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act.
This year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eyed those funds as a possible remedy to the state budget deficit, but his plan to seize the money under Proposition 1E was defeated by voters during last month's election.
Last week in Sacramento, California's Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission approved issuing the funds to counties. The commission is made up of consumers, family members, advocates and mental health providers.
The money will pay for a countywide prevention coordinator who will work closely with the local Suicide Tax Force to establish suicide prevention programs.
“In Nevada County we are seeing more successful suicides,” Heggarty said.
Like many rural counties, Nevada County has a higher-than-average suicide rate, and the numbers are
going up, Heggarty said.
So far, six suicides have been confirmed since January, with one more in question awaiting autopsy reports, according to Nevada County statistics. Last year, the county confirmed 19 suicides, a decrease from 2007 when 24 people took their lives, according to records kept by sheriff's Deputy Coroner Cathy Valceschini.
While proving a link between suicides and the economy is difficult, Heggarty suspects the recession could have prompted some of the recent deaths.
And some of those people never sought help from county mental health workers.
“Some of the folks who kill themselves, we don't even know. That's where prevention might make a difference,” Heggarty said. “They don't know where to turn. They're embarrassed. They don't know there is hope for them.”
With the new funding, a suicide screening program will start in local high schools and primary health care physicians will receive training on how to identify early signs of depression and mental illness.
Prevention work also could begin at the junior high school level, Heggarty said.
“Schools really wanted this. Parents really wanted this,” Heggarty said. “The community thought we could make the biggest impact with young people.”
For 18 months, a variety of interest groups have been planning how they will spend the money.
Since it was first established, Mental Health Services Act money has been issued in stages, with the first years devoted to treatment and training. Last week, county officials were notified $1.4 million was available to spend on housing for the area's mentally ill and sometimes homeless.
Following the first two-year allocation of $1.5 million for prevention programs, Nevada County will continue to receive $700,000 every year indefinitely, Heggarty said. Services will begin in September, he said.
In two weeks, Nevada County will collect nearly $1.5 million from the state for mental health prevention and intervention programs in area schools and health clinics.
This approach is a departure from the usual reactionary treatment of mental illness, said county director of Behavioral Health Michael Heggarty.
The pot of money generated by a 1 percent tax on millionaires began accumulating three years ago when voters approved Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act.
This year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eyed those funds as a possible remedy to the state budget deficit, but his plan to seize the money under Proposition 1E was defeated by voters during last month's election.
Last week in Sacramento, California's Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission approved issuing the funds to counties. The commission is made up of consumers, family members, advocates and mental health providers.
The money will pay for a countywide prevention coordinator who will work closely with the local Suicide Tax Force to establish suicide prevention programs.
“In Nevada County we are seeing more successful suicides,” Heggarty said.
Like many rural counties, Nevada County has a higher-than-average suicide rate, and the numbers are
going up, Heggarty said.
So far, six suicides have been confirmed since January, with one more in question awaiting autopsy reports, according to Nevada County statistics. Last year, the county confirmed 19 suicides, a decrease from 2007 when 24 people took their lives, according to records kept by sheriff's Deputy Coroner Cathy Valceschini.
While proving a link between suicides and the economy is difficult, Heggarty suspects the recession could have prompted some of the recent deaths.
And some of those people never sought help from county mental health workers.
“Some of the folks who kill themselves, we don't even know. That's where prevention might make a difference,” Heggarty said. “They don't know where to turn. They're embarrassed. They don't know there is hope for them.”
With the new funding, a suicide screening program will start in local high schools and primary health care physicians will receive training on how to identify early signs of depression and mental illness.
Prevention work also could begin at the junior high school level, Heggarty said.
“Schools really wanted this. Parents really wanted this,” Heggarty said. “The community thought we could make the biggest impact with young people.”
For 18 months, a variety of interest groups have been planning how they will spend the money.
Since it was first established, Mental Health Services Act money has been issued in stages, with the first years devoted to treatment and training. Last week, county officials were notified $1.4 million was available to spend on housing for the area's mentally ill and sometimes homeless.
Following the first two-year allocation of $1.5 million for prevention programs, Nevada County will continue to receive $700,000 every year indefinitely, Heggarty said. Services will begin in September, he said.
To contact Laura Brown, e-mail lbrown@theunion.com or call 477-4231.
