There’s no shortage of groups looking to address Utah’s mental and behavior heath crisis… but lawmakers worked to bring more structure to their efforts, hoping the sum is greater than the parts.
“Seeing not only the consolidation and focus on a single behavioral health commission, but also layering on having a really clear behavioral health master plan to help guide the work of that commission,” said Angela Kimball, chief advocacy officer at Inseparable, a mental health advocacy organization. “That’s the one two punch that I think is relatively unique and extraordinarily helpful.”
Senator Evan Vickers played a key role in advancing policies outlined in Utah’s Mental and Behavioral Health Master Plan. His bill, SB27, aimed to streamline and coordinate efforts across various organizations working in the mental health space.
“We determined that there was upwards of 43 or 44, I don’t know if you want to call them silos, but groups or organizations, committees, commissions out there working in the space,” said Vickers. “For the most part, they’re all working independently. And so there wasn’t really any, you know, over, you know, any kind of an umbrella organization or anything to kind of coordinate.”
The bill created a commission to oversee and coordinate these efforts, aiming to reduce duplication and increase efficiency.
“Not all of them are government funded,” said Vickers. “You some of them are specific committees from the legislature and commissions sanctioned by, you know, by the state. Others are more willing participants out there, as you say, in the NGO model.”
The legislation also consolidated some existing committees and adjusted how legislators interact with these groups. Sen. Vickers expressed optimism about the potential impact of this reorganization.
“This very well could be the very best thing we’ve ever done in this area if it fulfills the goal and aspirations of the bill, literally will be the best thing we’ve ever done,” said Vickers. “We’ll start to see some real coordination and some real advancement in some specific areas going forward.”
The Senator also praised the dedication of those working in the mental health field.
“As I get to know the people that work in this space, I am so amazed how good they are, and how hard they work, and how efficient they are,” he said. “I’ve never seen a group of people that can leverage money better than they do. I mean, the legislature and others can give them a dollar and they’ll turn it into ten.”
“There’s no shortage of groups in Utah working on mental and viral health issues,” said Jordan Sorenson, director of behavioral health and emergency preparedness at the Utah Hospital Association. “Senator Vickers legislation provided a structure, which is what the master plan recommended. And now we can work together more effectively.”
As Utah continues to implement its Mental and Behavioral Health Master Plan, the impact of these legislative changes will be closely watched in the coming years.