Mental Health Case Manager To Be Stationed In Gainesboro

Jackson County will soon have a mental health case manager stationed in Gainesboro.

Mayor Randy Heady said the county partnered with Volunteer Behavioral Health to provide the new service.

“That’s going to be happening, so that’s just a big win,” Heady said. “I understand that some things just have to be regional, but there’s other things that I feel like cannot. Mental health is one of those, so we’ve tackled that.”

The partnership comes nearly three months after Heady voiced concerns about a lack of mental health services in Jackson County. Shortly after that, Volunteer Behavioral Health reached out to Heady and agreed to place a case manager in the UCHRA office in Gainesboro.

Having a case manager stationed locally prevents some residents from traveling to Cookeville for appointments. Heady said last month that boosting mental health services in the county would help address other problems, including the opioid crisis.

“It seems like every time I go to a conference we have to talk about opioids. It’s a real problem and part of that problem ties into mental health,” Heady said. “They go hand in hand. If we want to stop opioid abuse, we’re going to have to step up our ability to doctor it and take care of people on the mental health side of it.”

Volunteer Behavioral Health Cookeville Director Anne Stamps said the manager would begin providing services before the new year.