Problem Statement

People experiencing mental health issues in Lancaster County are often unable to access timely and appropriate care and end up interacting with the criminal justice system, which is costly and robs them of the opportunity to receive the ongoing care they need to lead productive and positive lives.

Supporting Facts: 

• 65.3% of those surveyed described mental health as one of their top three health concerns for Lincoln/Lancaster County. 

• In 2023, Lincoln Police Department officers responded to approximately 3,781 mental health calls for service.

• The number of poor mental health days reported by Lancaster County and Nebraska residents has increased since 2014. In 2019, Lancaster County and Nebraska residents reported an average of 3.9 poor mental health days per month, compared to an average of 3.4 poor mental health days per month in 2014.

Solution Statement

To provide the public with a supportive place to begin their search for mental health services, we seek a full commitment to the implementation of a nonemergency mental health navigator system. This navigation system should include a centralized point of contact with timely response from a trained staff person, who gets “in the boat” with those seeking care. It should include accessibility regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. This program should be accessible to the general public as well as the following underserved populations:

• People who are part of racial and ethnic minorities

• People identifying as LGBTQ+

• Children and Adolescents

• People who are elderly or homebound

• People experiencing disabilities

Support From Community Providers

On February 20, 2024 Justice in Action hosted a Mental Health Navigation Summit that brought together health and human services providers from across the community to learn about our committee’s work and hear from Mental Health Navigators in Solano County, California who have successfully piloted mental health navigation in their own community. At the conclusion of the program, providers elected to sign the following letter of support.

To Whom It May Concern,

We are writing to express our professional opinion that Lancaster County could benefit from a Mental Health Navigation System. Six in Ten Lancaster County households surveyed say mental health is their number one health concern, and “healthcare system difficulty” was cited as one of the top 3 barriers to accessing appropriate care. Our commitment to the well-being of our community members compels us to advocate for improved access to mental health services, and evidence shows that a mental health navigation system could be instrumental in achieving this goal. 

Our experience working with individuals in need has highlighted the critical necessity for a comprehensive and coordinated system that facilitates timely access to mental health resources. Mental Health Navigation is being used in communities like ours to do this. Key components include an online central repository of up-to-date information on local mental health services, trained patient navigators, and education campaigns that engage the public. 

By centralizing information and support, such a system has the potential to alleviate barriers and directly connect individuals with the care they require before a problem becomes a crisis. Where mental health navigation has been implemented, the benefits have included time savings for users who match more quickly with a suitable provider covered by their insurance, increased efficiency for providers who receive more appropriate referrals, greater perspective for policy-makers on where gaps in the current system of care truly lie, and cost savings for emergency rooms and police departments when fewer people reach the point of a mental health crisis.

Thank you for your attention to this pressing matter. 

Signed,

Rachel Mulcahy, MS, LADC

Amy Borchers, MA, LIMHP, LADC

Michael J Judson, PsyD

Paige Piper, MA

Dr. Abigail Lamp

Teresa Harms Coder

Barbara Dewey, LICSW

Adeline M Berry

Mary SimBarcelos, MS

Sara Steele

Thanks to Justice in Action’s advocacy, in June of 2024, a Mental Health Navigation System Working group was convened with representatives from private practice, Lutheran Family Services, Lancaster Connected, Region 5 Systems, the New Americans Task Force, UNL’s Minority Health Disparities Initiative, BraveBe Child Advocacy Center, and the Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department. Together this group has developed a proposal for a mental health navigation system, including an online access portal and personal support and outreach from Navigators, that is...

• Accessible and Inclusive

• Efficient & Quality-Focused

• Supportive with Great Community Engagement

• Innovative & Future-Oriented

This system is still in the development stages. The working group is identifying the right partner to run the service and is seeking potential sources of funding. View the working group’s proposal by clicking below.

Mental Health Navigation Committee Leadership Team 

Jan Boller, PhD First United Methodist Church of Waverly

Sara Bevans, Eastridge Presbyterian Church

 Mary Feit, New Visions Community Church

 Jen Yoder, Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

 Dr. Eileen Vautravers, St. Mark’s United Methodist Church

 Rev. Andy Frazier, Christ United Methodist Church

 Judy Hart, Unitarian Church of Lincoln

For More Information or to Get Involved

Contact Beth at beth@justice-in-action.org.