DeWitt Commissioners listen to Gulf Bend Center presentation regarding mental health

The DeWitt County Commissioners’ Court heard a report from the Gulf Bend Center at the June 23 meeting.

The Gulf Bend Center is a local mental health authority and serves DeWitt County and six other counties. They are requesting a local match of $37,198 to continue to fund the delivery of mental health they provide in the area.

“We provide case management services to the schools and the homes to children and their families,” Gulf Bend Center Representative Nicole Way said. “We provide adult case management services to the adults as well. We also provide crisis services 24 hours a day and seven days a week. This is for any individual in our county that is in crisis. With our crisis team, we have a community response team where we have contracted with deputies from the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office. They serve our seven counties. That is a unique program in that all the seven county sheriffs have come together. In the event there’s someone we assess, and they require higher treatment in an in-patient facility, that deputy from Victoria County can transport that individual from DeWitt County. We’ve seen a lot of success with that program, and it has really helped with diverting people out of the emergency room and county jails. We also provide services to individuals that have intellectual disabilities. Gulf Bend Center is an authority of those services.”

In its first seven months of the fiscal year, Gulf Bend Center has served 95 children and 275 adults in DeWitt County. They are also working on a project for a 60-bed facility.

“Since we don’t have an in-patient unit in our area, we have to send individuals in a crisis to Houston or Austin,” Way said. “We’re bringing in an inpatient unit in Victoria to our area. One of the things that helps is that the individual in crisis is closer to home so that families can come and visit and be a part of that treatment when they’re in the hospital.”

Other items on the agenda include:

• Commissioners tabled approving a one year lease agreement of $2,000 per month between DeWitt County and 1884 Investments LLC for use of office space for the Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace.

• Commissioners authorized the county judge to submit a letter on behalf of DeWitt County requesting that the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation close out the Exterior Repairs and Restoration Bates of Sheppard House/DeWitt County Historical Museum Project.

• Commissioners adopted a resolution requested by the Texas General Land Office.

• Commissioners approved a novation agreement between DeWitt County and H&C Road Solutions Corporation for asphalt maintenance services.

• It was reported work has been done on the courtroom doors.

• Precinct 3 operations were reported as normal.