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Show Urgent Need For iavis Mental C3ealtEi Services By LE ANN ALLEN "I have never before seen such an urgent need for mental men-tal health services," said Commissioner Stanley Smoot. THE BOARD of Health approved plans for a three-part three-part mental health center in Layton to be ready for rehabilitation services in the spring of 1976. The clinic will be on the northeast corner of the property that was sold to Humana Corporation where the hospital is under construction. con-struction. THE BUILDING will be constructed in three parts, complimenting each other in service and contract services with the hospital to avoid duplication. Since many people with emotional problems are also found to have health problems, the rehabilitation center will be designed to meet nursing home standards for partial hospitalization of the patient. "THE AVERAGE stay will be 21 days," said Dr. Russell Williams, Mental Health Director. "People who have good health have a better outlook on life," he said. Since federal and state funds are available for rehabilitation and recreation, that will be the first phase, he pointed out. "WE HAVE been looking for several years for a location loca-tion that would be acceptable," accepta-ble," said Commissioner Smoot. "We think this is the PLEASE TURN TO PAGE 2 Coll Ciiilil Clinic: Infringe? CONTINUED FROM FRONT best solution since it can be combined with all other health care facilities. The hospital will negotiate for tie-in tie-in with nursing home and detoxification de-toxification center. Local match for funds will come from sale of an existing facility in Clearfield and a parcel of property on the Hill Field Road. "THE COMPLEXITY of our society, inflation trends, etc. cause me to see many distressed people who are not able to cope," said Commissioner Commis-sioner Smoot. "1 recently had an experience that proves there just has to be some relief and means of treatment for those in this category. It takes training, expertise and professional background of people trained in this area to cope with these problems, he said. BOARD MEMBER Dr. K.K. Okawa commented that the present economical climate has caused such things as engineers who have had to take jobs as janitors-"deflating janitors-"deflating and real emotional," emo-tional," he said. "The key is prevention, not treatment. We don't have the staff to solve all problems on a one-to-one basis. We need to get to the masses through service clubs, schools, etc. Fifty percent of the time should be spent in prevention," preven-tion," said Dr. Williams. "THE ONSLAUGHT of need has overtaken because some are so far removed from the basic ability to deal with the problem," he said. "Dealing on a one-to-one basis continuously is not good for the staff because results come slow, they are tedious and time consuming. They need the boost of successes in other areas." COMMISSIONER Smoot said he saw people in his church responsibilities that didn't fall into the category through stress of income or unemployment but the complex society, some try to change the world and are losing los-ing sight of the importance of the individual, causing a great deal of frustration. Dr. Williams pointed out that alcohol use has increased 144 percent in the last ten years. Suicide is increasing at three to four times the rate of population increase. The staff is kept busy putting out the fires instead of getting to the masses striving for prevention, preven-tion, he pointed out. THE ALTERNATIVE if nothing is done to help, is an increase of persons on the welfare rolls, conditions within homes will deteriorate and generations will be affected. af-fected. "We have witnessed some cases in the past where parents have said they wanted to abandon their children to prevent them from having the same problems," said the commissioner. BOARD MEMBER Kenneth Rock said he felt Davis County was head and shoulders ahead of many other counties in its involvement in-volvement of family and environment en-vironment in treating emotional emo-tional problems. |