Lata Menon, CEO for First Choice Services, appeared before the Wood County Commission Thursday seeking support for their upcoming annual West Virginia Crisis Intervention Team Summit they are planning to hold July 20-22 in Parkersburg at the Wood County Resiliency Center as center director Sydney Weber listens. Menon was seeking $15,000 from the commission to help put on the event. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — The Wood County Commission is considering a $15,000 sponsorship for a group that will be holding a three-day training session in July at the Wood County Resiliency Center this summer.

Lata Menon, CEO for First Choice Services, appeared before the commission Thursday seeking support for their upcoming West Virginia Crisis Intervention Team Summit that they are planning to hold July 20-22 in Parkersburg.

Menon said they are expecting over 200 people to attend the conference, which will include a number of officials representing first responders, law enforcement, mental health professionals and others from around the state.

The West Virginia Crisis Intervention Team’s programs bring together various people and agencies to improve community responses to mental health crises and get people into treatment for addiction and behavioral health needs. They also answer the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline and 1-800-Gambler line.

“We are trying to build systems that are community-based that will get people help sooner,” Menon said, adding their efforts also work to keep people out of the criminal justice system as increasing jail bills have been a concern for many local governments across the state.

The first summit was held in Bridgeport and the last two were held in Charleston. Menon said they want to hold it in different places around the state.

“We would like to move the event to different parts of the state to bring a little bit to each community and make it more accessible for folks who are from this area and hopefully bring something to your local economy,” she said of hotel stays and meals.

There were some concerns regarding another nonprofit organization asking to use the Resiliency Center and its kitchen for an event and asking not to be charged for its use.

The concerns included allowing a group that was not one of the center’s preferred caterers full use of the kitchen which officials felt could lead to liability issues. Also, if they let one group use the facility for free, they would have to open it up to other groups to be able to use it at no cost, officials said.

Commissioner Jimmy Colombo asked Menon about her organization’s finances to be able to put on the event they are planning to bring to Parkersburg as he did not want the county to have to foot the entire bill for the event and for the use of the Resiliency Center, its cleaning, setup/takedown and other expenses.

“There is nothing free in this world,” Colombo said. “Maintenance has gotten so expensive.”

Menon talked about their organization receiving funding through various state and federal grants.

“You have a beautiful facility,” she said. “We are not asking the commission to fully fund this.”

They have sponsors that provide financial support and they have attendee fees for the people coming that will cover some of the costs.

Commission President Blair Couch said the idea is to create a process for first-responders through specialized training that might keep someone out of the mental hygiene system which officials said the present system is out-of-date.

Wood County Sheriff Rick Woodyard said the program needs to be redone.

Wood County has the second highest number of mental hygiene petitions in the state. He is looking at different options to try to deal with them while not tying up a deputy’s time. He feels CIT programs have seen success in other areas of the country and feels they could be beneficial here.

“It is a very positive thing to do,” he said. “I think the more we can do in that line the better off we will be.”

“I know they are working closely with Westbrook Health Services and Westbrook is really expanding their process.”

CIT programs are community-based programs that bring together law enforcement, mental health professionals, mental health advocates, and other partners to improve community responses to mental health crises.

Other areas have seen reductions in certain crimes with people trained in mental health working with law-enforcement to help people with mental health issues.

Menon said the act of restraining someone or putting them in the back of a police car can make the situation worse in some cases.

Woodyard said he has had to commit a deputy to a full day of supervision with a mental hygiene case, time that can take them away from their other duties and being on patrol.

“I think you do wonderful work,” Couch told Menon. “I’m excited that you will have a statewide conference here.”

The entire conference cost will be $75,000 to put on at the Resiliency Center, he said adding if their $15,000 donation is approved, it can go towards covering the event cost. Couch said he will ask the mayors of Parkersburg and Vienna to contribute $15,000 each to the conference to help meet that cost with the rest covered by the conference organizers.

The commission will discuss and vote on the donation at next Monday’s meeting.

Brett Dunlap can be reached at bdunlap@newsandsentinel.com