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Region 5 asks Lancaster County for $100,000 as it expands crisis, housing and prevention work
Summary
Patrick Kreifels of Region 5 asked Lancaster County to maintain last year’s contribution and add $100,000 next year, outlining housing assistance, crisis services and grant efforts including a SAMHSA application and a statewide summit on psychiatric bed access.
Patrick Kreifels, regional administrator for Region 5, asked Lancaster County commissioners on May 14 to keep its prior contribution to Region 5 and consider an additional $100,000 for the coming fiscal year to support a continuum of behavioral‑health services.
Kreifels described Region 5’s mission and statutory foundation and emphasized county participation in governance across a 16‑county region. He highlighted services that include behavioral‑health disaster response, coordination with law enforcement, housing assistance for more than 300 people, prevention programming and crisis services. He reported approximately 300 individuals have used the Voluntary Crisis Response Center (VCRC).
Kreifels discussed statewide and local efforts to increase access to psychiatric beds and said Region 5 will host a statewide summit June 30–July 1 focused on that issue. He also described a pending SAMHSA grant application to support assisted outpatient treatment and said opioid‑settlement funds will be prioritized for mobile treatment and related services.
Kreifels framed the request in return‑on‑investment terms, telling the board that every dollar invested in behavioral health yields an estimated $3 in community benefits. Commissioners pressed on cost‑sharing between rural and urban counties and discussed implications for community safety, workforce stability and jail capacity.
The board did not take an immediate funding vote; Kreifels’ request will be considered as part of the county’s overall budget deliberations.
