By C1 Staff
DODGE CITY, Kan. — Jails in Kansas are struggling to make ends meet with little funding when it comes to treating mentally ill inmates who enter their facilities.
KSN reports that about 80 percent of inmates at the Ford County Jail alone are believed to have some type of mental health issue. Facilities do their best to identify inmates who may need special care or attention upon their entry.
Fifteen million was cut from mental health funding, which was a deep blow to health care throughout the state. Money was meant to be redirected from elsewhere to cover the gap; the Kansas Department of Corrections was approved for $3 million in 2013.
However, the county level has seen zero dollars, according to KSN, and beds are filling up.
The Ford County Jail has been getting assistance from Compass Behavioral Health.