 |
|
|
|
| July 17, 2007 |
| |
TAXPAYERS, PATIENTS BENEFIT FROM AGREEMENT - COURTESY OF THE PARIS NEWS |
Staff Editorial |
| |
It's nice to see Lamar County Sheriff's Department and Paris Regional Medical Center find a solution to a need to expedite mental patient transfers.
The hospital requests a minimum of 150 mental patient transfers annually, and in most cases immediate transport is needed. However, fulfilling those requests have come at the expense of community protection. Simply put, Sheriff B.J. McCoy has had to reduce patrol coverage to transport a person in need of immediate placement in a mental facility because he hasn't had enough manpower.
The agreement reached last week and approved by Lamar County commissioners calls for PRMC to pay $125 per mental patient transport with funds going into a designated fund from which the sheriff's department will get another transport officer.
The plan shows what can happen when officials are willing to talk and find responsible solutions to areas of need. We commend McCoy and hospital officials for working together to provide this much-needed service to those suffering from mental illness.
County Judge Chuck Superville described the move as "a gesture of goodwill." We agree. PRMC is willing to help pay for the needed service and the sheriff's department is willing to add an employ to ensure timely transports take place.
Taxpayers and patients are the winners in this situation. There is no significant expense — at least in the current year — and patients will be transported in a timely fashion. Also, the transport officer will assist with criminal transports when not transporting mental patients. That should lessen the load for deputies and constables — another benefit.
|
|
|
Paris, Texas 75460
