Platte County Mental Health Drama Still Unfolding

Platte County has not been able to implement a youth mental health fund. This fund was approved as a quarter-cent sales tax by voters. However, it was halted by commissioners in December. Months later, this decision remains contentious. A report was released from the Platte County Health Department. This report showed that many figures on youth mental health are better than the rest of the state. Commissioner Scott Fricker strongly agrees with the report. He believes that the situation is not a disaster and the report shows things are improving. Many youth were questioned about their mental states and self-harm. This was done by measuring their responses to many questions about suicide. These results were compared with five different counties. Fricker believes this shows that more changes are not needed. Some professionals are still not convinced by this report. Dennis Meier from Synergy Services, a mental health agency, has doubts. He thinks that the report is biased against supporting the Children Services fund. He believes the numbers don't tell the whole story. Meier feels that even if the numbers look good, the situation is not as bright as the report makes it seem. A large portion of the county's budget is already allocated to mental health. However, it is unclear how this money is being used. Fricker wants to know where the money is going and has asked for monthly updates from the agency. You have to consider that a large amount of money is still not enough. Many in the community are sceptical of these claims. Some families may prefer to seek treatment in nearby counties. This is because of the long waitlists in Platte County's mental health services. This makes it seem like Platte County doesn't need much financial support for mental health. Meier has considered legal action against the commissioners. However, he doesn't want the community to be split. Fricker doesn't think that an agreement can be reached. Other services that are also likely to benefit from the fund don't agree with the commission. They believe there is room for improvement in mental health services in the county.