With an eye on turning the tables on the mental health crisis that Shoshone County has been facing, the nonprofit Silver Valley CARES has been leading the charge to gain input from community members and local entities such as the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office and Shoshone County Prosecutor’s Office to weigh in. Any resident of the Silver Valley can share their thoughts for the mental health needs assessment, which is available through the SV CARES website.

Siobhan Curet of SV CARES said the assessment will provide a baseline for where things currently stand concerning mental health. The object is to illustrate a bigger picture of where there are needs and point to ways that locals can begin chipping away at barriers to service.

The nonprofit plans on completing the assessment and generating a report later in the fall. In the meantime, the newly formed group has begun compiling a resource guide to try and alert people to resources and services at their disposal. Curet said the guide will be a one-stop collection of ways to empower people by pointing them in the direction of resources that can assist them with housing, medical resources or domestic violence issues, in addition to mental health support.

The guide won’t overcome the shortage of mental health care providers in the area, but by reducing the number of factors that add to stress levels for residents in crisis, the hope is that the overall picture of mental health will be a little less troubled. Finding stable housing or putting food on the table can help balance out the overall quality of life and mental health of an individual struggling to make ends meet.

“Sometimes people just back away, and they’re not sure how to handle it, but there are people that really care, and they’re trying to make a difference. Over time, we can do more,” Curet said.

The hope is to remove the stigma from talking about problems. Crises usually occur when people have been trying to bottle up struggles and emotions they are facing.

Above all, Curet wants people to know that they aren’t alone.

What to do when local therapy is unavailable?

Social Service Manager at Shoshone Medical Center Meghann Johnson said, due to the high volume of local mental health needs compared to the approximately eight mental healthcare providers, patients are often daunted by waiting lists for mental health. Local agencies and providers direct patients overwhelmed by the process to appeal to insurance companies to find online therapy or telehealth options themselves.

Johnson has a plea to locals considering career options. “Go to school, become a counselor. We need more of you!” she said.

Law enforcement professionals examine community challenges with mental health

In a discussion with Sheriff Holly Lindsey and captains Seth Green and Eli Lopez, the subject was how the needs of the community have drastically changed what officers are being asked to provide on emergency calls or for inmates in the county jail. Green handles patrols and Lopez oversees inmates.

Sheriff Holly Lindsey described a need for more local resources to safely mitigate mental health crises.

“I’m glad that we’re finally talking about it. The lack of mental health resources is really putting a bind on any kind of progress we can. A lot of people think that throwing people in jail is going to solve the problem, but it doesn’t solve the problem at all,” Lindsey said.

She credited the Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney Ben Allen and his office for the proactive means to reduce substance abuse through the new Shoshone County Idaho Law Enforcement Diversion Program calling it “a good start.” The program develops channels to gain treatment early in the criminal justice process. Individuals in Shoshone County facing a non-violent drug charge can be offered substance use treatment and intensive case management in lieu of incarceration.

Green cited a rise in encounters his patrol officers have had when mental crises and drug use mix.

“Drugs are also sometimes used by people with mental health problems, so when you combine the two, we’re seeing more disturbing events occur that we did not see before and that’s also affecting our deputies, as well. It’s tough when you can’t keep deputies past five years, because you’re really playing both sides of it with mental health,” Green said.

Lopez said, all too often, people ignore the humanity of those who fall on the wrong side of the legal system. He wants to have more ways to help his inmates at the county jail connect with the resources and services they desperately need.

“A lot of the inmates that come into our facility are showing signs of mental health issues, violence, delusion, seeing things, schizophrenia, paranoia. Trying to get these inmates to facilities who can handle that is next to impossible,” Lopez said.

Housing and coping issues are the main things he has experienced with inmate needs.

But that’s not all.

Getting them the help they need is his priority, but he says it often takes months for beds to open up in state facilities and, meanwhile, folks with acute mental health issues are stuck in jail.

“They’re humans and, sometimes, jail isn’t the best place for them,” Lopez said.

Submit your thoughts about local mental health needs here: https://www.svcares.org/needs-assessment

If you go

What: SV CARES mental health training

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training — from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 14-15 at 125 McKinley Ave., Kellogg

Trust-Based Relational Intervention for vulnerable children — 9-11 a.m. Oct. 14. Location TBD, Kellogg

Alzheimer's and Dementia Presentation — 1-2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, at Kellogg Fire Department, 911 Bunker Ave., Kellogg

Mental Health First Aid — Jan. 12, 2024, location TBD, Kellogg

To learn more about Silver Valley CARES resources, visit www.svcares.org.