CHEYENNE – A committee of state lawmakers voted Thursday in support of a bill that would establish a task force to study Wyoming’s mental health services.
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CHEYENNE – A committee of state lawmakers voted Thursday in support of a bill that would establish a task force to study Wyoming’s mental health services.
The bill would create a 12-member group consisting of legislators, mental health-care providers and representatives from the state Department of Health, and law enforcement. It also would include a spot for somebody who has received mental health or substance use services within the state.
By a 10-3 vote, members of the Legislature’s Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Interim Committee voted to move forward with the bill, which still needs to gain approval from the Legislature as a whole during its 2020 budget session.
Rep. Sue Wilson, R-Cheyenne, said she developed the bill after realizing the problems outlined by a similar task force in 2005 were still plaguing the state.
“The really sad thing is about 80% of the problems and challenges identified then, we still have those now,” said Wilson, who co-chairs the joint committee.
Mike Ceballos, director of the Wyoming Department of Health, said he and other department officials held several outreach sessions across the state in recent months.
“This is certainly the single most discussed topic we’ve had in community discussions,” Ceballos said. “It is of great importance for us to do this.”