WHIO-TV: Wright State psychiatry students to help provide mental health services at Montgomery County Jail

Excerpt

Local college students will be spending time working in the Montgomery County Jail.

Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck announced a partnership with local colleges, including Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, according to a Montgomery County Sheriff’s office spokesperson.

It is a collaboration with the Montgomery County Jail and NaphCare.

“This partnership is not only a significant step toward increasing access to mental health services for our inmates but supports our commitment to working collaboratively with community partners on initiatives that impact the wellbeing of those in our custody and the community as a whole,” said Sheriff Streck.

Psychiatry services from NaphCare will be increased with several fourth-year psychiatry residents.

“This experience will broaden education by offering residents an opportunity to serve incarcerated individuals while meeting a service need in the community,” said Dr. Brian Merrill, associate professor and psychiatry residency program director at the Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine. “The hope is to expand this partnership so that additional Residency Training Programs or Medical Students can also join the treatment team.”

Students will help provide psychiatry services to inmates at a time when the demand for mental assistance has increased.

An estimated 44% of inmates experience mental illness, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The sheriff’s office says the collaboration shows its commitment to tackling mental health challenges in the criminal justice system.

View the original story at whio.com