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Catawba Community Health details demand for mental-health services and asks county to maintain support
Summary
Catawba Community Health presented detailed operational metrics and requested continued county support for hospital bed days, mobile crisis and rental-assistance programs; leaders said local demand is high and that staff help divert people from hospitals and jails.
Tamara Edrington, executive director of Catawba Community Health, briefed council on the agency's mental-health caseload, mobile crisis responses and housing supports and asked the county to sustain or increase FY2026 funding for indigent hospital bed days, mobile crisis capacity and rental assistance.
Key data: Between July 1 and April 30 the agency logged 2,623 active patients overall (1,765 from York County), 3,235 inbound calls requesting services, and a majority of routine patients seen within four days; mobile crisis responses averaged a 39-minute response time and diverted many callers from hospital or jail. Edrington said hospital-bed-day costs are roughly $600 per day, and the agency has budgeted roughly $347,000 for inpatient bed days in FY25, of which $261,000 had been spent by April 30.
Why it matters: The agency described the mobile crisis team as a cost-saving diversion that reduces jail and hospital utilization. Edrington said county-funded rental assistance (housing support) and other community-based services are vital to keeping people stable after a crisis.
Council response: Council members praised the agency's crisis, court and housing work and highlighted the importance of the mobile crisis pilot with Pathways Community Center and other partners.
Next steps: Council will evaluate the agency's FY2026 funding requests during final budget deliberations.
