Pulaski County residents affected by mental health issues or substance use disorders continue to get help from Four County Counseling Center. CEO Dr. Carrie Cadwell gave an update to the county council Monday.
“So here in Pulaski County this past year, we served around 490 consumers,” she said. “That made four about over 9,800 mental health and substance use contacts in Pulaski County alone.”
Going forward, Cadwell said Four County is looking to set up outreach groups in the community. “One of our substance use counselors, free of charge, will offer an outreach group that essentially will allow family members and loved ones to attend to find out, ‘Where do I start when I have somebody who I care about who has a substance use disorder?’”
Four County also continues to offer a clinic at BraunAbility, along with skills training and therapy in local schools. There are also a number of services offered in partnership with Pulaski Memorial Hospital, including a peer recovery coach. “So if somebody comes in and they’re experiencing a substance use crisis, they’ll be connected with a peer recovery coach who’s on-call for Four County, in order to have that coverage for their emergency room,” Cadwell explained.
But Sheriff Jeff Richwine expressed concern with at least one part of Four County’s services. He said that when his department issues an emergency detention order, which is when someone has to be placed in a facility against their will, it typically takes several hours for them to be placed. Richwine told council members that deputies or jailers often have to wait in the hospital with the person for 12 hours, before a bed is found.
You can hear Cadwell’s entire presentation to the Pulaski County Council this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST/noon CST on Kankakee Valley Viewpoints.
