Mississippi
Mental health care in Mississippi sees a significant increase in services, support
![Mental health care in Mississippi sees a significant increase in services, support Mental health care in Mississippi sees a significant increase in services, support](https://yallpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Untitled-design-1-1.jpg)
Enlargement of Develop Remedy seeks so as to add to the good points made within the state by bridging the hole between therapists and other people searching for psychological well being care.
Develop Remedy introduced in the present day the enlargement of its providers to a number of states throughout the nation. The enlargement contains availability in 22 new states, together with Mississippi, making Develop Remedy providers now out there in 36 states.
In response to the Nationwide Alliance of Psychological Sickness, 31,000 adults in Mississippi have a psychological well being situation. In February 2021, 42.7% of adults in Mississippi reported signs of tension or despair whereas 21.1% have been unable to get wanted counseling or remedy.
Adam Moore, Director of Planning and Communications on the Mississippi Division of Psychological Well being (DMH), mentioned usually talking of Mississippi, one good useful resource that gives a take a look at psychological well being providers within the state is the Psychological Well being America 2023 State of Psychological Well being in America report, which MHA revealed in October.
The report ranks all 50 states and Washington, D.C. primarily based on 15 psychological well being and entry measures for each adults and youth. Within the general rating, Mississippi is twenty fifth, an enchancment from final 12 months when Mississippi was ranked thirty sixth and is a major enchancment in the event you return greater than a decade when Mississippi was ranked fortieth in 2011.
Lots of the measures are ranked primarily based on reporting from the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Providers Administration (SAMHSA).
Further statistics from the MHA Report:
- Grownup Rating – Mississippi is twenty eighth in comparison with forty first within the earlier report. This measure compares prevalence of psychological sickness and entry to care.
- Youth Rating – Mississippi is nineteenth in comparison with sixteenth within the earlier report. This measure compares prevalence of psychological sickness and entry to care.
- Entry to Care – Mississippi is forty second in comparison with forty seventh within the earlier report. The Entry to Care rating signifies how a lot entry to psychological well being care exists inside a state, together with entry to insurance coverage, entry to remedy, high quality and value of insurance coverage, entry to particular schooling, and psychological well being workforce availability.
- Grownup Prevalence of Psychological Sickness – Mississippi is 18th in comparison with nineteenth within the earlier report.
- The report notes that 21% of adults, greater than 50 million People, are experiencing a psychological sickness. Moreover, in data beforehand compiled from SAMHSA, it was estimated that in Mississippi, roughly 446,000 adults over the age of 18 skilled Any Psychological Sickness previously 12 months, whereas 116,000 skilled Severe Psychological Sickness previously 12 months.
Develop Remedy CEO and Co-Founder Jake Cooper mentioned their launch in Mississippi means extra alternatives for individuals to entry inexpensive psychological healthcare and for suppliers to have the ability to open their very own in-network non-public observe.
“Develop Remedy may also help to supply inexpensive entry to psychological healthcare through business insurance coverage or money pay,” Cooper mentioned. “Develop Remedy’s suppliers serve a large spectrum of psychological healthcare wants from decrease acuity ‘psychological upkeep’ to greater acuity, psychiatric care and medicine administration.”
When requested what made Mississippi an interesting state to launch this enlargement, Cooper mentioned it was because of the state rating forty second in entry to psychological healthcare and primarily based on entry to insurance coverage, entry to remedy, high quality and value of insurance coverage, entry to particular schooling, and workforce availability.
Cooper added that in comparison with the nationwide common, Mississippi studies a better prevalence of psychological sickness and decrease charges of entry to care, as outlined in “The State Of Psychological Well being In America, 2022.”
“We see the enlargement into Mississippi as an unbelievable alternative to provide Mississippians entry to essential psychological healthcare, while additionally enabling unbiased therapists to open up their very own non-public observe and serve the communities they care about most,” Cooper defined.
The Develop Remedy CEO and Co-Founder mentioned they’re on a mission to bridge the hole between therapists and other people searching for psychological well being care.
“Sadly, that hole has solely gotten wider for the reason that onset of the pandemic as suppliers have struggled to maintain tempo with drastically elevated demand,” Cooper mentioned. “By eradicating boundaries for each customers and suppliers, we’re making strides to slim the deficit.”
Shoppers seeking to discover a therapist can begin by heading to growtherapy.com. From there, they choose their state and insurance coverage or money pay in addition to their sort of care or whether or not they’re searching for in-person or distant classes.
“They’ll scroll by and be taught extra about every particular person therapist who matches their search standards and e book an appointment,” Cooper said. “Most therapists can be out there to see inside 48 hours. If purchasers are not sure of who could be greatest for them, they will communicate with the Develop Remedy matching staff, who will assist them discover a therapist who meets their wants. And if it’s not an ideal match, the matching staff will work with them to discover a higher match.”
Moore shared a quick overview of some neighborhood providers designed to allow individuals to proceed dwelling of their communities with out the necessity for inpatient admission to a DMH program.
In FY11, there have been no Supported Employment, Supported Housing Applications, Licensed Peer Help Specialists, or Disaster Intervention Groups within the state that DMH was funding. In FY22, these providers exist and served the next numbers of individuals in FY22:
- 219 individuals have been employed in the neighborhood by Supported Employment.
- 239 individuals have been housed by the CHOICE housing program.
- There have been 201 Licensed Peer Help Specialists employed on the finish of FY22.
- There at the moment are eight absolutely functioning Disaster Intervention Groups within the state. CITs are partnerships between native regulation enforcement companies and native psychological well being suppliers, with members who’ve been by a 40-hour coaching class.
There have been 128 disaster stabilization beds in the neighborhood in FY11, and now there are 184. Six new models have been added lately, and so they served 3,108 individuals in FY22, diverting 90% of them from requiring admission to a better degree of care.
As well as, Mississippi had zero Cell Disaster Response Groups in FY11. These are additionally multi-disciplinary groups that provide cell disaster and analysis providers. There at the moment are 14 groups across the state. That they had 30,571 calls, contacts, and follow-ups in FY22, with 11,657 of these being face-to-face interactions.
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Mississippi
Mississippi votes conservative. Are we going to see more conservative policies?
![Mississippi votes conservative. Are we going to see more conservative policies? Mississippi votes conservative. Are we going to see more conservative policies?](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2022/07/15/PJAM/89169fbe-3f64-4f81-81fd-727f995bada2-Douglas_Carswell.jpg?auto=webp&crop=554,312,x3,y96&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Waiting for my suitcase in the arrivals hall at Jackson airport the other evening, it occurred to me that the luggage carrousel was a pretty good metaphor for Mississippi politics.
Like suitcases on a carrousel, many leaders simply sit on the conveyor belt of state politics, waiting their turn to get moved along to the next role.
Too often leaders are carried along by time and process, rarely offering any vision as to what our state should do differently. That explains why Mississippi conservatives have achieved less in 12 years than Arkansas, Louisiana and Alabama have accomplished in the past 12 months. Louisiana did not even have a Republican governor this time last year, yet they’ve already passed universal school choice.
Things could be about to change if House Speaker Jason White has his way. This week, White announced that he will be hosting a Tax Policy Summit on Sept. 24 to take a deep dive into the prospects for tax reform.
My friend, Grover Norquist, will be speaking, as will Gov Reeves, as well as leading conservative figures from the state Legislature.
Having a conversation in public matters because in the past the leadership in our state Senate has done what it can to head off tax cuts. Bringing the facts of what can and cannot be done into the open makes it far harder for anyone to keep finding new excuses to oppose actual conservative policy.
Sunshine is the best disinfectant against the putrid politics of backroom deals. We have seen far too many backroom maneuvers used to kill off good conservative policy in this state. Back in 2022, Mississippi passed a law to cut the state income tax to a flat 4 percent. This $525 million tax cut, driven forward by Speaker Philip Gunn and Gov Reeves, benefited 1.2 million taxpayers and their families. But we must not forget how some in the Senate fought against it — not in the open, of course.
Weak Senate leadership has a history of opposing conservative proposals in our state. Seldom do they have the courage to come out and explicitly kill off conservative measures. Instead, they do it on the sly. The Senate leadership maneuvered to stop anti-DEI legislation in 2024. I don’t recall anyone coming out and explaining why they opposed anti-DEI law. They just killed it in committee with a nudge and wink.
For three years in a row, the Senate leadership has killed off attempts to restore the ballot initiative. Again, those against resorting the ballot lack the courage to say they are against it. They killed that, too, on the sly.
Rep Rob Roberson’s excellent school funding reform bill, perhaps the only big strategic achievement of this year’s session, passed despite attempts to scupper it by some in the Senate. (Part of the backroom deal to get the bill passed was to change its name. It really was that petty.) When the Senate leadership wants to oppose an authentically conservative policy, they follow a now familiar pattern.
A reason is cited as to why what is being proposed can’t be done. School choice, we were once told, would be unconstitutional. An anti-DEI law, it was implied, was unnecessary because there was no DEI on campus.
Once that excuse is shown to be nonsense (there is no constitutional bar to school choice, DEI is rampant on campus), another excuse is promptly conjured up. And on it goes.
Each time the Senate leadership opposes conservative policy this way, I wonder what their alternatives are. The answer is that most of the time there are none. It is pretty low grade to oppose ideas simply because they are not your own. Eventually, of course, a suitcase that sits on the carousel for too long ends up in lost luggage.
As a direct consequence of the 2022 Reeves-Gunn tax cuts, Mississippi is now starting to see a flood of inward investment into the state.
Every time you hear about a new factory opening up in our state, remember who and what helped make it happen. I am very optimistic that this tax summit could see further progress to make our state more competitive.
— Douglas Carswell is the president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
Mississippi
Ex-official in Mississippi is treated for gambling addiction amid embezzlement charge, lawyer says
![Ex-official in Mississippi is treated for gambling addiction amid embezzlement charge, lawyer says Ex-official in Mississippi is treated for gambling addiction amid embezzlement charge, lawyer says](https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/dcac1a4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/700x394+0+28/resize/1440x810!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F90%2F29%2F4e3c1cc7446089a9101a7bdff4c8%2Fdefaultshareimage-copy.png)
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A former tax assessor and collector in north Mississippi checked into a residential treatment center for a gambling addiction after he called the state auditor’s office and confessed to misusing more than $300,000 in public money, his attorney said Tuesday.
Shannon Wilburn, 49, resigned in April from the elected office he had held in Benton County since 2016, and he began the 12-week addiction treatment in late July, his attorney Tony Farese told The Associated Press.
“I’ve known Shannon all of his life,” Farese said. “We are shocked that he finds himself in this situation.”
Mississippi Auditor Shad White announced Tuesday that Wilburn has been charged with one count of embezzlement. The announcement came days after Wilburn was indicted. Farese said Wilburn turned himself in to the sheriff’s office Friday, then posted bond and returned to the treatment program.
Wilburn is accused of taking $327,055 paid to the Benton County Tax Collector’s office and using the money for personal expenses, Farese said. He said Wilburn confessed to the auditor’s office before hiring legal representation and has continued to cooperate with investigators.
“He apologizes for disappointing the citizens of Benton County and the state of Mississippi,” Farese said.
If convicted, Wilburn would face up to $5,000 in fines and 20 years in prison.
White said Wilburn’s employment as a Benton County elected official was covered by $200,000 in surety bonds to protect taxpayers from losses from corruption. The county also has an insurance policy that covers theft.
“The dedicated team at the State Auditor’s Office will continue to work closely with prosecutors to get record results, one case at a time,” White said in a statement.
Mississippi
Vicksburg’s Raymond Elledge set to enter Mississippi Disc Golf Hall of Fame – The Vicksburg Post
![Vicksburg’s Raymond Elledge set to enter Mississippi Disc Golf Hall of Fame – The Vicksburg Post Vicksburg’s Raymond Elledge set to enter Mississippi Disc Golf Hall of Fame – The Vicksburg Post](https://www.vicksburgpost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2024/09/090424-Disc-Golf-Elledge-14-WEB.jpg)
Vicksburg’s Raymond Elledge set to enter Mississippi Disc Golf Hall of Fame
Published 4:30 pm Tuesday, September 3, 2024
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During two decades of playing disc golf, Raymond Elledge has only won one big tournament.
“I don’t even remember what year it was,” he said.
Nonetheless, Elledge is a legend in the sport in Mississippi. He’s worked tirelessly to maintain courses, been a member of several local and state players associations, and taught people young and old the joys of it. That level of dedication led to Elledge’s recent election to the Mississippi Disc Golf Hall of Fame. He’ll officially be inducted Oct. 12 in Starkville.
“When he first told me last year I was nominated, I told him, ‘Man, you’re making my heart hurt.’ You don’t realize the emotions you can get. Stuff can just tear you up, and it did because I was just so excited,” the 62-year-old Vicksburg resident said. “You go years and years, and you’re out here busting your butt trying to maintain the course and showing everybody what you can.”
Disc golf is played the same as traditional golf, except with plastic discs that resemble frisbees. Players take aim at a steel basket several hundred yards away, with the goal of getting it in there in as few throws as possible.
Elledge first played disc golf in 2002, on a private course built in the backyard of Vicksburg resident Herman Cochran. One of the people playing with Elledge made a hole-in-one, and the excitement over the feat hooked him instantly.
“I seen this little old fella, he was 21 or 22 but he looked like he was 12, and he made an ace. I was hooked. I’ve got to do it,” Elledge said. “I don’t go anywhere on vacation without taking my disc golf bag. I just love the game.”
Elledge added that the simplicity of the sport is something he enjoys. A starter kit of three discs — a driver, mid-range disc and putter, all of which have different densities and flight characteristics — can be purchased for about $25.
The courses are easily found at many parks in Mississippi. There is an 18-hole course at Halls Ferry Park. Players of all ages and shapes can play it as long as they can walk the course. Elledge had quadruple bypass heart surgery eight years ago and playing disc golf helps him stay in shape.
“It’s something anybody can do,” he said. “I’ve trained kids from 5 to 50, and the oldest one I’ve helped train to play this game is 71 years old now. He still comes out and plays. This is a sport that any age can play.“
With his passion for disc golf comes a sense of responsibility. He’s helped clear brush around parts of the Halls Ferry Park course to keep it playable, and done the same while working with associations like the Vicksburg Disc Golf Association and Jackson Union of Disc Golf Enthusiasts.
He’s also eager to teach the game to newcomers.
“I’ve never quit teaching how to play the game,” he said. “They used to have something called the World’s Biggest Disc Golf Weekend and I won it three years in a row. What it is, is whoever takes the most players out to a certain disc golf course gets the T-shirt and a disc.”
His service to the sport led to a nomination for the Mississippi Disc Golf Hall of Fame in 2023, but he didn’t make the final cut. This year he did, and he said it was better than winning any tournament.
“You play a lot of tournaments. You do a whole lot for the sport itself, such as numerous work days working on the course to maintain it. Teaching the kids and when we have tournaments helping move baskets around to new spots,” Elledge said. “Then somebody will nominate you and there’s a lot of votes from the clubs. If you get enough votes from everybody you’re in. You find out how much you’re appreciated by everybody for all that you’ve done.”
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