Leadership committee announces plans for regional mental and substance abuse treatment facility

Published:

February 26, 2024

Category:

General

Contact:

Deborah Highland West - 270-393-3642

Location:

Bowling Green, KY

This community-based leadership team has come up with a solution modeled after a Nashville facility the committee visited last year. With this model, a person in crisis can receive immediate treatment.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - For about one year, a committee of more than 30 leaders comprised of local and state officials along with mental health professionals and law enforcement officers have been meeting at City Hall to address the mental health and substance use crisis care services in our region. This group originated from a conversation between Mayor Pro Tem Sue Parrigin, former Warren County Judge/Executive Mike Buchanon, and Mayor Todd Alcott to proactively address the growing mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness in our community. 

The Mayor instructed Dr. Parrigin to form an exploratory committee which has grown into the current leaders involved in this endeavor.

This committee is specifically addressing mental health and substance use crises as they relate to law enforcement, incarcerations, the judicial system, the healthcare system, and quality of care for the individual experiencing the crisis.

This community-based leadership team has come up with a solution modeled after a Nashville facility the committee visited last year. With this model, a person in crisis can receive immediate treatment while in most cases bypassing the criminal and judicial systems as well as our hospital emergency rooms. All of this can refocus the resources spent on our jails, law enforcement and our judicial system to target the person in crisis, allowing for a greater chance of a positive outcome and a more productive citizen. 

The solution will affect people struggling with mental health, substance use disorders and homelessness. It will also save thousands of taxpayer dollars spent by our local law enforcement agencies and has the potential to save thousands in expenses for our jails. It is a regional, scalable model that can be duplicated across the Commonwealth.

The committee is requesting about $20 million from the state to build the facility on land provided by LifeSkills on their Lovers Lane campus. LifeSkills has agreed to provide the staffing for the operation of the facility. LifeSkills is the Community Mental Health Center for the 10‐county Barren River Area Development District.