‘A mental health desert’

Hays County is lacking in mental health resources, and a new coalition is working to change that, especially for young people in San Marcos.

Anne Halsey, chair of the the San Marcos Commission on Children and Youth (CCY) and member of the SMCISD board of trustees, said the idea for the SMTX Coalition on Mental Health came about through the CCY and the city’s Youth Master Plan. The plan, she explained, identifies areas where services need to be improved for young people — identified as ages 0-24 — in San Marcos.

“The one area we’ve identified as a priority area … is mental health care,” Halsey said.

A Hays County community health needs assessment that the Seton Family of Hospitals conducted in May 2016 shows that Hays County has 86 mental health providers per 100,000 population — well below the state average of 96.7 and less than half of the U.S. average of 189 per 100,000.

“According to community input, hospital emergency rooms, law enforcement and school counselors are the primary responders to mental health crisis situations,” the assessment reads. “Preventive mental health services, especially for children, are limited.”

“That confirms what we’ve heard anecdotally,” Halsey said – that San Marcos is a “mental health desert.”

“There are not enough service providers,” she said.

Halsey said that the city’s Youth Commission, which is made up of young people, had also identified mental health as a crucial issue.

“They actually had some really good ideas about what they need,” Halsey said of the Youth Commission members.

At a Nov. 7 meeting, the CCY decided to convene the coalition to create a plan to better meet the mental health needs of young people. The coalition held its first meeting on Dec. 5. Attendees included representatives from Texas State University, SMCISD, the city of San Marcos, United Way, the Greater San Marcos Partnership, the San Marcos Police Department, the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, Central Texas Medical Center and private schools, as well as parents, pediatricians and mental health professionals.

“The idea was to get as many stakeholders in the room as possible,” Halsey said.

Support for the idea of a coalition focusing on mental health resources for young people was greater than Halsey expected, she said. She had hoped for 20 people to show up at the first meeting, but instead, “We had by my count over 60. We had a line out the door. It was really great.”

The Coalition on Mental Health set several goals and has given itself a timeline to come up with a plan. The group will identify existing mental health resources, barriers and gaps in service; better support the work of organizations already working on mental health resources for young people; establish a set of best practices; and make a recommendation to the CCY on effective ways to increase awareness and reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues.

Halsey said the first meeting was a positive one.

“I think what was most exciting about this was the commission at Scheib let us know that funding likely will be available through the upcoming legislature,” she said.

The state is setting aside funds to help with mental health resources for young people as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s school violence prevention plan. Abbott announced the plan earlier this year and made funding available to schools over the summer to implement several parts of the plan.

The coalition is aiming to have a recommendation for the CCY in May.

“Within six months, we will have some sort of plan of action,” she said.

Halsey said anyone who wants to get involved can contact the city’s Youth Services Manager Jessica Ramos at jramos@sanmarcostx.gov or Halsey herself. She noted that the faith-based community was under-represented in the initial coalition meeting and would be welcomed.

“I’m really optimistic that we will be able to make it a community effort,” she said.