Butler County, Ohio – The 0.5-mill mental health levy overwhelmingly passed and was renewed last Tuesday because of the huge support from many Butler County voters. Scott Rasmus, the executive director of the Mental Health Board stated recently that this result strongly indicates that Butler County, Ohio residents are beginning to deeply understand the importance and great need of better urgent care when it comes to the mental health of their community.
Aside from the mental health levy issue, other issues were voted upon. Issue number 1 passed the 71 % to 29 %, basing on the final and an unofficial tally of results from Butler County’s Board of Elections. Dean Langevin, who previously served more than 30 years as a levy consultant, stated that in all his years of service as a consultant, he could not remember a single levy ever passing with such large and impressive margins.
The 0.5-mill mental health levy change will significantly help many Butler County residents in need of an urgent care clinic to help address their health problems, especially mental health related issues. Many experts see these move that was decided by Butler County voters a positive move, but still warns that any change in any system will not be successful without constant monitoring and improvement.
Though such health issues are considered as top priority in any community, sudden and abrupt changes can also cause negative impact and effects. Experts advise any county, and any issue for that matter, to take it one step at a time. It is crucial to look into all aspects, both pros and cons before making any final decisions. More so in decisions that could greatly affect the welfare of the whole community.
The executive director also stated that Butler County experienced a 124% increase in the number of individuals seeking services in urgent care clinics over the past 10 years. He added that from a total of 4,471 clients that were served last 2004, it increased to 9,997 clients in 2014’s fiscal year. This is more than a total of 2,500 individuals that sought their services for 2015’s fiscal year, which started last July 1.
Scott Rasmus also stated that aside from the recent passing of the 0.5-mill mental health levy, he and his office staff will continue finding new ways in improving mental health care in the county, and will not also stop educating people regarding the big impact mental illness causes that lead to many individuals to search for urgent care near me.
