Despite Alamance County’s Behavioral Health Center opening its doors June 19, it is still waiting on a license from the federal government to open its 24/7 inpatient care wing, according to Donald Reuss, vice president of behavioral health and intellectual/developmental disability network operations at Vaya Health.
The behavioral health center was created in partnership with Vaya Health, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and RHA Health Services. The goal of this center is to provide people with mental health and substance abuse issues a place they can seek treatment. While the center isn’t able to currently fill its 16 beds for inpatient care, it can still help people with both mental health and substance abuse issues. In the future, though, the plan is for this to be able to be used as a center where people with mental health issues can go instead of being sent to the county jail or emergency room, according to Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson.
The idea behind this is also that for some individuals, this is an alternative to being sent to the county jail, which is not able to focus on providing mental health treatments for people, Johnson said.
“I run the biggest mental health facility in this county, and that’s the county jail,” Johnson said. “There’s a whole lot of people that have committed crimes had they had the proper mental health treatment, may not have ever offended.”
Another issue the center has faced since its opening is finding law enforcement to provide 24/7 security. Right now, the center does have full security coverage, thanks to the county’s sheriff’s department. But, the sheriff’s department has been looking for local law enforcement departments to help, Johnson said.
Johnson said if needed, his department will provide security on its own, but if there is no other assistance, it will face personnel shortages.
“We’re going to do it if we have to do it ourselves,” Johnson said. “But I believe that it’s imperative that we ensure the security of that facility.”
On March 17, the Alamance County Commissioners voted to approve a memorandum of understanding to allow for Extra Duty Solution to provide security. EDS is a company that allows members of local law enforcement departments to sign up for additional security shifts. Johnson said while this is a solution, it is not without its issues, as this is getting security officers who are already working full-time to provide additional services.
“I just want to make sure that when our people go to do security, their eyes are wide open, and their ability to perform their duties to the highest state that they can do that,” Johnson said.
But not every local law enforcement agency has agreed to supply officers for EDS work. The Graham, Burlington and town of Elon departments all declined to sign on, but Gibsonville and Mebane agreed to allow officers to participate. Johnson said he does not know why specifically some departments have not agreed to participate in providing security but said he thinks that each department should step up to the plate and help out.
“If the city of Burlington, city of Graham had to run a detention facility, they’d be more than happy to supply people,” Johnson said.
Both Burlington and Elon police chiefs declined Elon News Network’s request for an interview but sent written statements. Burlington Chief of Police Alan Balog wrote that the county’s center is outside of the department’s scope of work, as it is a county facility. Because of staffing issues and concern participation will lead to injuries, Balog wrote the Burlington department will not participate.
Balog wrote that the department already does not have enough police officers to staff already existing extra duty assignments and cannot commit to more.
“The addition of another assignment that is the responsibility of another government entity will negatively impact all the other schools, churches, and businesses that currently rely on Burlington police officers for security,” Balog wrote.
Balog wrote that history has shown patients will be violent, leading to necessary physical confrontation from officers. He wrote this leads to less officers able to be on duty at a given time if they are out due to injury, and that this leads to increased legal liability.
He also wrote that the Burlington police already maintain 24/7 emergency calls and non emergency calls – including those at the center.
“Burlington police officers are very frequently at the facility, sometimes multiple times per day. These responses have, and will continue, to occur,” Balog wrote. “This is a significant resource contribution by the Burlington Police Department to the effective operation of the Alamance County Diversion Facility, as well as facilities across the whole City.”
Elon Chief of Police Kelly Blackwelder wrote the department was reluctant to participate for similar staffing issues and concerns of incurring additional financial costs to the department and taxpayers.
“We have not been operating at capacity consistently in over two years. EPD has difficulties mitigating overtime for officers to cover patrol shifts, so assigning officers to extra duty out of town only exacerbates that issue,” Blackwelder wrote. “Agreeing to do so puts our staff and community in danger by having our officers without sufficient coverage in Elon.”
County Commissioner Pamela Tyler Thompson said while she thinks security for this center is imperative, it should be the local department’s responsibility, as this was the county’s project.
“It’s really the county’s issue,” Thompson said. “And you can’t beat up other municipalities if they don’t want to play like that right now.”
Thompson also said she feels the center is not yet fulfilling its purpose, as it is not open for inpatient care yet.
“It’s going to be a year and a couple months, and we should be up and running and not missing anybody, because that was the whole point of this is to make a major difference for this population,” Thompson said.
While Reuss said he does not know for sure when the license will come in allowing for inpatient care, he said it should be within the next month. Reuss said in order for the center to open last year, they prioritized its unlicensed services. Three months after it opened, the center obtained its intensive outpatient services for substance abuse license and now the inpatient facilities is the last license remaining.
Johnson said this is something he is deeply passionate about and will do whatever it takes to ensure that it has security and is fully operational.
“The whole purpose of the thing is to see people’s lives turned around, where they can go back into their family environment and be a productive citizen, stay on their medication or whatever is necessary to help them have a better life,” Johnson said.