East Central Behavior Health in Brookings finished towards the bottom of ranked community mental health centers in South Dakota, based on the number of clients served and the cost per client. Both category rankings reveal what most members of our community experience: few services and poor quality of those services. Attached is the information I received from the State Department of Social Services. East Central is in need of change and their board is working on it. This change can’t come soon enough. Please contact their Board and encourage them in this change process. If you want to become involved helping to create a community-wide Mental Health Assessment, please contact the City County Mental Health Task Force via your elected officials Dan Hansen, City Council member; Mike Bartley, County Commissioner, or Randy Grimsley, President of Brookings School Board. You may also contact the Co-Chairs of this task force: Nikki Eining or Mary Beth Fishback. Contact information is on the City website. If you want to advocate for change, please contact this same group and share your concerns, experiences, and ideas. You can also join Brookings Empowerment Project and work on our Stigma Busting, Crisis Management, and Transitional Housing Efforts. We meet the second Monday of each month, 7-830 on the second floor of Metabank.
Craig Pahl
President
BEP