Local organizations: Mental health still a priority in Olmsted County

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – The Rochester Area Foundation held its monthly “Coffee and Conversation” on Wednesday, focusing on the topic of mental health in the community.

Representatives from Olmsted County Public Health, Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and Southeast Regional Crisis Center They all discussed how they plan to continue helping the community address mental health needs in 2022.

The Olmsted County Public Health Department is beginning its 2022 Community Health Assessment. Survey residents about health needs and then work to find solutions.

Community Health Assessment and Planning (CHAP) Coordinator Derrick Fritz said based on data collected from the 2019 and 2021 surveys, the top three areas they continue to focus on are mental health, financial stress, and substance use.

He said they have been monitoring how the pandemic has affected people, and after surveying people with COVID-19 in mind, the three areas of concern remain the top three.

“We completed a COVID-19 Impact Survey, which is very similar to our Community Health Needs Assessment, but focused on the impact of the pandemic on an individual’s well-being,” Fritz said. “This also allowed us to reaffirm that these priorities remain priorities for the current CHIPS cycle.”

Fritz said the working groups will start in the first quarter of the year to develop an action plan for the strategies and then they will be announced and implemented later this year.

Southeast Regional Crisis Center Executive Director Nicole Mucheck said the center was created because there is a great need for services in the community. The center offers services 24/7.

“We have a lot of people in the community that don’t access services,” he said. “It fills a service gap. It is a safe and calm community approach, which is different from other providers.”

The center specializes in responding quickly to individual needs, assessing them and referring them to an appropriate level of care. She said they have been busy. The center serves 10 counties in southeastern Minnesota.

Local police have continued their mental health crisis training, and 74% of the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office is now certified in crisis management.

“We are the only self-sufficient program in the state at the law enforcement level,” said OCSO Capt. James Schueller. “That’s something to be really proud of.”

All speakers said they are making progress in helping people with mental health needs, but much remains to be done.

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