With the high rates of drug addiction among those in incarceration and the current state of the drug crisis both locally and nationally at the top of many people's minds, the County Court at Law Mental Health Specialty Court, added substance use treatment to the list of resources for the jail diversion program. The court was created last year and is meant to prevent those that have a mental illness that have committed a crime from incarceration through a series of mental health services. Hays County Commissioners Court approved the execution of a $45,000 contract between Evoke Wellness and the specialty court at the regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday, which sparked a conversation on the need for such services in the community at large and the link between drug addiction and criminal behavior.
Evoke Wellness Outreach Coordinator Sean Flynn said the program does a lot of work with veterans and first responders as well as “everyone in between.” Evoke Wellness is a residential treatment facility, located at 1106 I-35 N. Frontage Rd., that treats substance abuse and co-occurring mental health diagnosis. Evoke Wellness is relatively new having opened its doors in June.
“They go hand in hand,” Flynn said of the connection between mental illness and drug addiction.
