Mental Health

An advisory committee that helps direct funding for mental health and public safety programs in McLean County is signaling support for two court programs that lost federal funding. But how they will be funded in the long term remains unclear.

Brightpoint runs two long-running programs in the McLean County court system. The nonprofit is about to run out of money for those programs after the federal government cut $150,000 in October.

McLean County Board Chair Elizabeth Johnston said there's significant movement on mental health program spending in the county. That comes from sales tax money shared with the county by Bloomington and Normal.

A youth substance misuse prevention program from the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health has partnered with the Illinois High School Association and IESA to expand outreach efforts.

The latest missive on the dispute between the City of Bloomington, Town of Normal, and McLean County over how the county government handles shared sales tax money includes a vigorous defense of previous allegations against the county and proffers a reciprocal olive branch.

A big chunk of the counselors and social workers in McLean County just got trained in a rising therapy model that can help people overcome anxiety, depression, and PTSD. It's called Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR.

The Bloomington-Normal branch of a statewide program called Recovery Oriented System of Care is gathering feedback and implementing trainings to reduce stigma surrounding mental health and substance abuse.

McLean County's three-year plan is the third of its kind, developed by an independent council of mental health stakeholders.

Pilot programs in Kankakee and McHenry counties provide mental health care to defendants, from smaller jails, who have deemed unfit for trial and are awaiting a state hospital bed.

McLean County Board chair Elizabeth Johnston said the priorities in next year’s $144.5 million budget approved this week remain similar to the current year spending plan.