Nueces Center for Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities (NCMHID) serves more than 2,000 people a month and over 10,000 people a year. However, they're hoping to do more in reaching all communities that seek a stronger mental health.
"The most important is catching it early and being able to intervene early, so that you don't have to get to the point of having to be on psychiatric medication the rest of your life, if you don't need to be," NCMHID Mental Health Service Director Andrea Kovarik said.
Some programs include Mental Health in Adults, Mental Health in Youth, Crisis Intervention Assistance, Substance Use Disorder Interventions and more. But their Jail Diversion Programs are helping hundreds of people throughout the county.
"We've increased our crisis teams. We have a lot of people that are being incarcerated who have mental illness. We've focused on pre-arrests," Kovarik added.
She told KRIS 6 News that officers are sent to a disturbance call that may include a repeat individual, where oftentimes, they are experiencing mental health challenges. Instead of arresting them, NCMHID works with the Nueces County Sheriff's Office to offer resources that may help them get back on track.
This week, the Nueces County Commissioner approved more than $2.5 million for the facility to continue advancing their Jail and Detention Center Diversion Programs.
Through those efforts, patients can also receive post-booking services once they are released.
"The jail waitlist has become so long at the state, it's over 2,000 people," Kovarick said. "Hopefully to take that load off of the jail and help these people enter back into the community to make sure that the recidivism is cut down."
She added that many years ago, it cost the jail more than $130 per inmate and nearly $3,000 for hospitalizations. In recent years, that number has gone up significantly. However, with the programs offered at NCMHID, they've been able to save taxpayers some money by keeping offenders out of jail and help them.
"Having somewhere like MHID, where they can take someone that can take so many avenues and immediately get them into assistant care, you see this instant relief when people are able to just come in and have someone say, 'We can help you here,'" Kovarik said.
The facility also offers programs for children and peer support for anyone looking to working others with the same experiences.
Currently, NCMHID is in the process of opening a Jail Diversion Center next door to their South Brownlee location. It's expected to open in the summer of 2025.
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