Latest news with #MissouriDepartmentofMentalHealth
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Missouri State Capitol lights up green for Mental Health Awareness Month
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has ordered the Missouri State Capitol dome to shine green in recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Children's Mental Health Week also runs from May 4 to May 10. 'Approximately one in six children and youth have a diagnosable mental illness, and around 50 percent of individuals with lifetime mental health challenges first experience symptoms by age 14,' the governor's office said in a news release. The dome will be lit up green from Wednesday, May 7, until Thursday, May 8. Missouri's oldest resident, Mary Chesney, dies at 112 years old 'It's important to talk about mental health and the resources that are available for Missourians who need help and support,' Kehoe said. 'You are not alone if you struggle with mental health challenges.' Gov. Kehoe is proclaiming May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month in Missouri, and May 4 through May 10 as Children's Mental Health Week. 'May is a great time to shine a light on the importance of mental health,' said Valerie Huhn, Missouri Department of Mental Health Director. 'We're proud to see the Capitol dome lighted green this year for mental health awareness as we continue to share resources and support for Missourians.' If you are having suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988. Veterans can press '1' after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. For texts, veterans should continue to text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Kansas City residents can find local mental health resources here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hundreds of Missourians continue to languish in jail waiting for mental health services
Valerie Huhn, director of the Missouri Department of Mental Health, speaks to reporters after being appointed to the job on Dec. 29, 2021 (photo courtesy of the Missouri Governor's Office). There are 430 Missourians across the state in jails waiting to be moved to state psychiatric hospitals, up from around 300 at this time last year. The average time those people wait in jail before receiving treatment has held steady at 14 months, according to Missouri Department of Mental Health data. Those individuals were arrested, found incompetent to stand trial and ordered into mental health treatment designed to allow them to have their day in court — a process called competency restoration that generally includes therapy and medication. Those being held in jail are sometimes incarcerated for longer than they would be if they'd received the maximum sentence for the crime they were charged with. Testifying before the Missouri House Health and Mental Health Committee earlier this week, Valerie Huhn, the state mental health agency's director, called the issue the 'most critical' of the department's various waitlists for services. 'I just wanted to make everybody aware of some of the risks that we know we're taking on because we can't get these individuals from jail into our state operated hospitals,' Huhn said. 'Obviously their illness is worse, and as their treatment is delayed, that makes it harder for us to turn them around.' The state also faces potential lawsuits, Huhn said. 'We also know that there are federal lawsuits in five states for inappropriate detention and imprisonments, and there are federal lawsuits in 10 states for violation of due process,' she said. 'So there are a lot of risks for us not being able to address the needs of these populations.' State Rep. Kent Haden, a Republican from Mexico, said county jails are ill-equipped to hold individuals awaiting psychiatric treatment for so long. 'My sheriff continually tells me, 'I am not prepared to handle mental health issues in my jail.' And he had a suicide,' Haden said. 'He said: 'We were not prepared to handle this situation.'' The waitlist peaked in February and March, when the average stood at 440 people per month, and has since declined to 430 as of May 1. Huhn attributed the slight decline to the launch, over the last few months, of a handful of pilot programs that were signed into law two years ago. These jail-based competency restoration programs are designed to bring treatment to jails, rather than require individuals be transferred to psychiatric facilities. 'That program was slower starting than we wanted to see, but it is now open,' Huhn said. It has a capacity of 40 people, she said, and currently is serving 19. Those programs are in the Jackson, Clay and St. Louis County jails, Deb Walker, the spokeswoman for the department, told The Independent. In 2023, the state legislature approved $300 million to build a psychiatric hospital in Kansas City, which will add 150 beds. That is estimated to open in 2029, Huhn said, which is 'not soon enough' to ameliorate the issue. The legislature that year also worked to increase outpatient competency restoration, which has been slow to get off the ground, to treat those who can be safely released in their communities. Huhn said the agency is working to bolster that, including with money in the budget for community behavioral health liaisons to work between the agency and court. Outpatient treatment efforts will be targeted for those charged with low-level offenses, meaning misdemeanor charges and parole violations. More Missourians are in the pipeline who will need competency restoration. There are 80 people awaiting court orders and 230 more in open pretrial evaluations, of which the department estimates around half will be found incompetent. The waitlist is a result of limited bed capacity, workforce, and a lack of community placements, Huhn told lawmakers, as well as a surge in the number of court-ordered competency evaluations. There has been a 48% increase in the last five years in those evaluations. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Representatives emphasize concerns in 988 text hotline bill hearing
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A hearing on a House Bill Tuesday in Missouri's Capitol was aimed at deciphering who is on the other end of the 988 hotline text messages. A text exchange between a state representative and 988 sparked attention, leading to the proposal of House Bill 1148. 'At one point we said there is a gun in the house. There is a gun to our head and it said, 'Hello. Thank you for call,'' Rep. Tricia Byrnes, District 63, said. The texts were sent at the advisement of a 988 contractor last week, according to Byrnes. 'I wanted to shed light on the 988 text never seemed to leave AI,' she said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now HB 1148 is currently in the Children and Families Committee. During Tuesday's hearing she described the 20 minute text exchange as a critical error to members of the committee. One representative tested the feature. 'As we were sitting here, I text, 'I am suicidal and want to die.' It says, 'Thank you for reaching out.' Same thing and then it proceeds to ask me what language I speak,' Rep. Raychel Proudie, District 73, added. Multiple committee members called the texts alarming Tuesday. 'I think that it is very important to understand that when you are texting this service, there is a big probability that you're not actually texting with a live human,' Rep. Holly Jones, Chair Children and Families Committee, added. Missouri 988 was signed in law in July of 2022. Byrnes said Missouri has done a great job with the suicide lifeline, but said the program is growing. Missouri woman accused in plot to sell Graceland says she'll plead guilty 'Unfortunately these growing pains will have fatal consequences if we don't get eyes on something,' she said. The Missouri Department of Mental Health did not attend Tuesday's hearing. Some of the representatives at the hearing said HB 1148 needs emergency action. 'This is terrifying and I shudder to think if I was in actual need that this would be the response that I got,' Proudie said. FOX 2 reached out to the Missouri Department of Mental Health, who sent the following statement: 'The Department of Mental Health was not testifying on the bill. The Department of Mental Health is working with its 988 national and statewide partners to address concerns.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmaker fears texts sent to 988 not going to real person
ST. LOUIS – A Missouri state representative fears that texts sent to 988 suicide crisis lifeline are not going to a real person. A hearing is set for Tuesday in Jefferson City, where one lawmaker plans to take up the concern. State Representative Tricia Byrnes said she is under criminal investigation for text messages that were sent to 988 inside the state capitol. 'I want to reiterate (that) I am under criminal investigation. I am a state representative. Because of the facts of this situation, I should be fine; it is a formality. I want nobody to copycat this,' Byrnes said. She said HB 1148 is the result of the first time she messaged 988 back in December. 'I was in a situation in my district where I felt like my spouse and I were dealing with somebody we thought was having a mental break,' Byrnes said. 'It's kind of hard to have a conversation in front of the person that is on edge and you don't want them to do any kind of harm to you.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now That interaction led her to look into 988's text and chat features. Byrnes said Thursday she met with 988 in her office at the capitol. Byrnes recounted seeing texts to 988 at the advisement of 988. 'Under the 988 contracts prompts, we tested 988 because our concern was the data I was given is not connected to 911,' Byrnes said. 'Our goal is to see what words will trigger it to stop being an AI script and a real person would pick up the line. The 988 provider then says to me, 'Wow, this is insane.' It still hasn't left AI.' After a back-and-forth text exchange for more than 10 minutes, Byrnes said she got a text message that said, 'Thank you for reaching out to 988 lifeline. My name is Sabrina. How may I support you today?' 'The 988 person that is looking over my shoulder is absolutely appalled, (and) says, 'Go ahead and put in there that I have a gun to my head,'' Byrnes said. Byrnes believed the chat was with a bot and not a real person. Man convicted of stabbing adoptive father and spouse to death 'It just (was) not a natural conversation. At that point, we decide we're done. We're appalled that nobody has picked up regardless of these prompts,' Byrnes said. An hour and a half later, law enforcement contacted Byrnes about the comments made in the text exchange. 'Should 988 texts have a prompt immediately that says 'if you are in an emergency' or 'if you need immediate help,' you need to call 911,' she said. The Missouri Department of Mental Health said that 988 answered more than 1,800 texts and 1,200 chats last month. The department also expressed that individuals should reach out to 988 by whichever form of communication: through call, text or chat. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
