Haywood Co. Jail adds mental health care
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BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. — Haywood County commissioners decided at a Monday meeting that inmates in the Haywood County jail will be provided on-site mental health care. Haywood County Sheriff Melvin Bond said because the county hospital was closed in July, his staff has had to transport inmates out of the county for mental health care services. “With the closing of the hospital here, we had to spend as much as 6 hours in Jackson with one visit,” Bond said. He also said the cost of gas and paying staff overtime for the transports was taking away valuable resources from the jail. Larry Livingston, Haywood County Budget Director, said the new addition will cost the state about $40,000 a year but that they are grateful for the lessened liability of having this service in house. “We’ve had people think about filing suit, but when they saw the documentation that we had, they didn’t file suit,” Livingston said. Bond said taking action now could prevent future issues. “You can look around at other counties and see the repercussions that it takes for not doing what we’re doing, and I think to be proactive is a lot better than reactive,” Bond said. Livingston said the new addition will be effective Dec. 1. Bond said it could be 30 to 60 days before the new additions are fully operational.
