By Joe Ragusa

NORMAL – Members of the McLean County Board updated their vision for mental health treatment at the Illinois State University Alumni Center Monday.

McLean County Board Member Susan Schafer told the group that half of the county’s portion of revenue generated from a recent sales tax increase will go towards community initiatives.

She said one of those initiatives is to improve the county’s Case Management System.

“That would include integrating police, fire, (mental health care) providers, courts,” Schafer said. “They can all be interacting with this Case Management System so they all have information, because information is important and everyone having the same information is really important.”

Schafer said the other half of the new sales tax revenue will go towards either operational costs or debt service for the improvements at the county jail.

Board Vice Chairman John McIntyre said the county has received a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

“This will help provide $325,000 (annually) for the next three years to help us operate our recovery court and our drug court system,” McIntyre said.

The forum was hosted by the Women to Women Giving Circle of the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation sponsored a forum Monday with county administrators regarding the issue of mental health.

Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].