Committee forwards $20,000 request for 708 mental-health grants to full board

The Finance Committee voted to forward a request to the full board to increase the county's 708 mental-health allocation by $20,000 for the next fiscal period. The request follows a presentation from Betsy, chair of the county 708 board, who said agencies across Effingham County continue to request more funding than is available.

Betsy told the committee the 708-funded agencies served 280 funded clients and 41 clients who could not be funded this past year; she also said prevention work reported 2,300 student contacts in local schools. "We still continue to have increased needs in mental health in Effingham County," she said, and noted agencies had requested roughly $250,000 while the committee had $180,000 allocated.

Committee members pressed how the 708 fund verifies that billed services are for Effingham County residents. Betsy said invoices the board receives typically contain initials rather than full addresses because of HIPAA constraints and that the board typically takes agencies at their word. A committee member recommended adding a residency attestation line to reimbursement forms so agencies explicitly confirm services were provided to county residents.

Following discussion, a member moved to send a $20,000 increase request to the full board for consideration; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The full board will consider whether to add the $20,000 to next fiscal allocations.