By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Four people took their own lives in Wood County in October.
And many more are hurting – without enough mental health professionals to care for them, according to Jerry Landers, interim CEO of the Wood County Health Center.
The Wood County Community Health Assessment showed the following troubling stats for 2021:
- 3% of county residents thought seriously about suicide.
- Another 3% attempted suicide.
- 29% of teens felt sad or hopeless every day for the two weeks prior to the survey.
- 14% of teens thought seriously about suicide.
- 5% attempted suicide.
“These are unacceptable numbers,” Landers told the Wood County Board of Health Thursday evening.
There are multiple roadblocks in the way of people getting mental health help. There’s a shortage of mental health professionals in this region. The care is expensive, and often providers don’t accept Medicare or Medicaid. And the stigma surrounding mental health treatments lingers, Landers said.
“We have a serious problem,” he said, noting that he has discussed the issue with other mental health services in the county. They all agree, “there is more need than we can address.”
The health center at the Wood County Health Department has three behavioral health positions – with one currently vacant.
On Thursday, Landers proposed to the board that the health center hire a psychiatrist – which he described as a “unicorn” because of their scarcity. He estimated the annual salary range for a psychiatrist to be between $219,000 and $274,000 in Ohio.
Landers cautioned it could take several months to hire a psychiatrist. If one can be hired, Landers suggested that three additional behavioral health specialists be hired.
“I feel it’s incumbent on us to try to address this,” he said.
Sixty percent of behavioral health issues involve depression. According to Landers, 50% of men who take their own lives went to their general practitioner within 30 days before their suicide.
“We could identify and catch many of those, and intervene,” he said.
But a lot depends on the availability, affordability and personal bond felt with providers. Only 25% of people will follow through with mental health referrals and actually make an appointment – as opposed to 75% if there is a personal hand-off between health professionals in an office, Landers said.
“I just think it’s incredibly important considering the stats the community has,” he said. “We can’t wait.”
The board did not vote on the issue, but several members voiced their support, allowing Landers to further research the issue.
Board member Cathy Nelson agreed with Landers’ assessment of the lack of mental health providers in the region. Wood County Commissioner Ben Robison said Ohio is one of the primary exporters of medical professionals in the U.S. Medical students come here to train, then get jobs elsewhere, he said.
Board member Richard Strow also acknowledged the unmet needs.
“I’m very much aware of the need in our community,” he said. “This isn’t something that is going to go away tomorrow. I would be all in favor of this.”
Strow also spoke of the lack of affordable care, with most mental health providers not accepting Medicare or Medicaid.
“Mental health does not discriminate between rich and poor,” he said.
Landers also presented another challenge facing the health center and its clients.
“We have staff that care a great deal about what they do,” he said. However, that message is often lost due to communication problems.
Patients have reported “significant” problems with scheduling appointments, he said.
Just new to the interim position, Landers said he doesn’t have a complete grasp on the problem, but he asked the board to hire a new clinical services assistant to help answer phones, and possibly broaden the duties of contract nurses to help staff the phones until the issue is resolved.
“That’s hurt our brand. That’s not getting people in the door who need to be seen,” Landers said.
Strow said he has experienced the problem himself when trying to make an appointment at the clinic or for dental services.
“People should have confidence when they call in that they will be able to speak to someone,” Strow said. “This will help our image and our standing in the community.”
Board President Tom Milbrodt acknowledged that many businesses have computerized systems answering phones. “That certainly does not need to be how we present.”
And board member D.J. Mears noted the value of the health center sending out reminders to patients as their appointments near.
Landers said the health center needs to work on tracking calls, identifying dropped calls, and pushing out texts to patients.
Also at Thursday’s meeting, the health board:
- Accepted the resignation of Rachel Bowlus from the board.
- Renewed employment of Dr. John Coates as medical director.
- Agreed to use $11,200 of the $60,000 Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Grant funding for scholarships and a Youth Peer Education Program.
- Approved an agreement between Wood County WIC and Lucas County Regional Health District for the Cribs for Kids Program. Wood County WIC will receive 15 portable cribs, crib sheets and sleepers for trained staff to distribute along with safe sleep education to families.
- Approved full-time maintenance support from the county commissioners in the 2024 budget. The approximate costs are estimated at $130,000 a year.
