Lincoln County will no longer be a part of the regionalcommunity mental health provider that’s served it for 36 yearsafter supervisors decided Thursday to discontinue affiliation withthe old partner and do business with a neighboringorganization.

After two sessions of deliberations with both competing entities,supervisors voted 4-1 Thursday to walk away from SouthwestMississippi Community Mental Health Complex (Region 11) and becomea member of Region 8 Mental Health Services, a geographicallysmaller but much better-funded organization promising to improvelocal mental health services in Lincoln County, create 50 new jobsand construct a $4 million treatment facility in Brookhaven.

Supervisors’ resolution will make Region 8 the county’s providereffective Oct. 1, coinciding with the start of the county’s fiscalyear and giving both regions time to trade authority and replaceservices and programs. Any Region 11 employees based in LincolnCounty will be given jobs with Region 8 or transferred aroundRegion 11 if desired.

“Region 11 and Region 8 will cooperate to form an action plan thatensures the citizens of Lincoln County will get the best possibleservices with minimum disruption to the system and employees,” saidRegion 8 Executive Director Dave Van.

Supervisors were attracted to Region 8’s proposals for economicdevelopment, but the single most important issue separating the tworegional providers was the new organization’s promise to end thepractice of holding mental commitments in jail.

Region 8 will implement its mobile crisis response teams in LincolnCounty, which can respond and treat patients in the home. Also, ifneeded, they can help them secure quick treatment opportunities atstate facilities without having to wait on the commitment process,a process that results in two or three mental patients being heldin the Lincoln County Jail each week.

The Brookhaven Crisis Intervention Center, which will likely beoperated by Region 8 through a contract with the MississippiDepartment of Mental Health after July 1, will play a prominentrole in the region’s emergency mental health plans.

“My main concern is those people sitting down the hill in the jail,and I think we’ll have a little more success with that in thefuture if we go with Region 8,” supervisors president Doug Moaksaid just before the vote was taken.

Lincoln County Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop, whose office handlesall the county’s mental commitments, said approximately 60 mentalpatients have been detained in the jail while awaiting treatmentover the past 18 months.

“I’m tired of seeing people go to jail because they’re mentallyill. That should never happen,” Bishop said. “I’ve made contactwith all the other chancery clerks in Region 8, and in the sameperiod of time, they’ve place none in jail.”

After watching Region 11 and Region 8 workers dispute facts anddefend turf since Monday, District One Supervisor the Rev. JerryWilson provided Thursday’s only mild dissent.

Wilson voted against membership in Region 8, expressing fears thecounty would lose the alcohol and drug treatment program atNewhaven Recovery Center on Nola Road. A long, passionate plea fromRegion 11 workers and clients made Wednesday centered on thefacility.

“The only problem I have is the Newhaven place. I wish we couldhave that, too,” Wilson said.

Wilson said he would support the move to Region 8 if the countywould be assured Newhaven would remain in operation, but Moak didnot allow the resolution to be passed with stipulations. Wilsonlater included his approval in a 5-0 vote to set the effective datefor Oct. 1.

After the meeting, Van explained that Lincoln County would haveaccess to alcohol and drug treatment programs no matter what.

He said Region 8 could lease Newhaven from Region 11 or use itsfleet of vans to transport local clients to the Region 8 ADfacility in Mendenhall if needed. Additionally, Region 11 couldcontinue to operate Newhaven as an island inside Region 8’s newterritory, and Region 8 could implement a new program locally ifthe Newhaven programs are withdrawn.

Answers to the Newhaven and other questions will depend largely onwhat the Region 11 commission decides at its next meeting on June24. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at Michael’s Restaurantin Meadville.

“We’re going to work with Region 8 to try to assure a smoothtransition and pull our resources out of Lincoln County and usethem to beef up our programs in other counties,” said Dr. SteveEllis, executive director of Region 11. “There are things that havebeen devoted to Lincoln County that can be used to improve servicesin Lawrence, Pike and other counties.”

Ellis insisted Region 11’s pullout would be orderly, saying, “We’renot going to stop providing services tomorrow.” But the region willhave to stop accepting new clients at some point before Oct. 1, hesaid.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed with the outcome, especiallyconsidering we’ve had a relationship with Lincoln County more than35 years,” Ellis said. “But we intend to learn what we can fromwhat happened and work with Region 8 to provide as seamless atransition as we can. We’ll move on and use our resources in otherareas, and if this allows us to improve our services in othercounties, it may not be as negative as it seems.”