The Siskiyou County Behavioral Health Services Task Group presented important information at Tuesday’s board of supervisors meeting regarding mental health and substance abuse services needed by and available to Siskiyou residents.
The presentation was an overview of the “Siskiyou County Behavioral Health Needs and Community Capacity Assessment” which was recently completed by the task group and Siskiyou Healthcare Collaborative. The assessment was largely funded by a Blue Shield of California Foundation grant which was awarded to the Siskiyou Community Services Council in July of 2014.
Marta McKenzie, director of Shasta County Health and Human Services, was the main presenter at the meeting, and walked the board through a detailed powerpoint presentation which outlined various statistics relate to the mental health of citizens in Siskiyou County.
....Siskiyou County ranks 55 out of 57 counties in California for health outcomes according to the County Health Rankings and Roadmap Report. An estimated total of 8,507 individuals are considered in need of mental health services; 6,036 of those cases are considered “mild to moderate,” 1,737 are categorized as needing serious mental health services, and 734 are youth.
....Throughout the presentation, McKenzie reiterated the idea that many chronic diseases are the manifestation of mental health issues which are not being managed properly. Adverse childhood experiences affect a person’s health as an adult, thereby influencing the development of both physical and mental illnesses. McKenzie stressed the importance of early “trauma-focused treatment” when necessary to prevent disease later in life.
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