leave the person at home if they don’t think they
are at risk of harming themselves or others, or
they can take them into the office for a meeting
with a counselor, then drive them back home.
That all takes time, Brookings County Sheriff
Deputy Bart Sweebe said.
Under a pilot program started three weeks ago,
Sweebe’s deputies now have help. They respond
to mental health calls armed with tablets that
connect them to a counselor from Avera’s
Behavioral Health Center in Sioux Falls.
“Sometimes, if you can get that person help
quicker and get them talking to someone
quicker, you see better results,” Sweebe said.
Sweebe said counseling via video keeps people
in their homes where they are often more
comfortable. It also allows the counselor to
de-escalate the situation and determine the
next steps.
The video counselor could also help determine
if the person should be taken to a mental
health facility.
Lawmakers would like the Brookings County
pilot program to be made available statewide.
Soholt said it could take years to expand the
program and figure out how to fund it. The latest
legislation includes provisions for the program
to be covered by insurance, but it would take
philanthropic, state, and municipal funding —
plus the expansion of broadband to rural areas
— to get a statewide system in place, she said.