By Eric Stock and Colleen Reynolds

BLOOMINGTON – The recent shooting at a community college shooting in Oregon reinforces the need to improve how agencies share information, according to a McLean County officials who is helping to revamp the county’s mental health care.

McLean County administrator Bill Wasson said the local Integrated Justice Information System would be expanded to include other contributors such as hospitals, the newly established stabilization unit at Chestnut Health Systems in Bloomington and social service agencies so first responders have more information.

“We would be able to provide a more robust version than the current integrated justice system that would expand to include those types of agencies and to be able to share different levels of information,” Wasson said.

Wasson said such a system would go beyond criminal justice and provide information about a client’s history and needs before they simply get thrown in the slammer.

“When those types of information are available to first responders, there is an improvement in the way those people are directed,” Wasson said. “They end up in the more appropriate location.”

There is no estimate on the cost for expanding the system and Wasson said there isn’t an upgrade available to current system but it could be customized or emerging updates could be coming given the growing need to share information among private, public and social service agencies that deal with mentally ill people.

He added there are also privacy concerns, but said any challenges that can be overcome.

This is one of many long-term recommendations laid out in the county’s mental health action plan that’s been in development for the last 18 months. You can see the report here.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].