Macon Co. Mental Health Board gathers community input

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Since November, the Macon County Mental Health Board has been gathering community input on which needs are going unmet in the county.

"I think really to hear that data and get input from people, in my experience, each time I come away from it learning more and knowing more than what I knew going in," said Tim Macken, the Executive Director for the MCMHB.

The board released a survey, asking anyone who lives or works in Macon County to share their opinion on mental health, developmental disability, and substance abuse services.

Macken said, "We then collate that data and have this event in March called 'Focus on the Future' where we then report out on the data that was collected, with the priorities and identification of the people that attend."

The results of the survey could help bring in more grant money for additional programs and will help the MCMHB determine which programs to allocate money towards.

"The total cost for all the unmet needs if it were to be met and we had the funds to do it would be somewhere around $80 million," Macken said. "Our annual levy is only $2.5 million, so the Mental Health Board obviously can't fund all of that. But it does help us prioritize what we should fund if we have requests for funding."

The 'Focus on the Future' event is scheduled for March 4th at the Mt. Zion Convention Center.

There, the Board will share the survey's results.

If you're interested in attending, for more information, click here.