Expanding mental health and substance abuse treatment
According to the Indiana Department of Correction, nearly 80% of inmates in Indiana jails have an addiction or mental health condition, and 75% of those who return to prison have a substance use disorder. To help ensure more Hoosiers with mental health conditions receive treatment in hospitals, not jails, House Bill 1006 has been introduced.
House Bill 1006 would empower law enforcement to apprehend and transport individuals suffering from a mental illness, or temporary impairment from drugs and alcohol to the nearest facility providing mental health treatment. Sending Hoosier to these facilities can help provide them with a better chance at recovery by connecting them with the resources they need, and hopefully help them stay out of the criminal justice system.
This proposed legislation would also protect individuals from being released from a mental health facility or hospital due to an inability to pay. One of the main reasons individuals suffering from mental illness end up in jail is because hospitals often assume the costs of care for those who can’t afford it, and it’s a liability issue for the facility. This often leaves arresting officers two choices. They can take the individual to a hospital for treatment, which would often let them out the next day, or place them under arrest.
Through this legislation, insurance and Medicaid could be used to pay for mental health treatment, ensuring hospitals receive payment and the individual receives help. House Bill 1006 also includes liability protections for law enforcement officers, hospitals and treatment centers that are trying to help affected individuals.
This legislation continues to build on our state’s efforts to connect more Hoosiers to critical mental health resources while maintaining public safety. Our hardworking law enforcement officers routinely deal with these issues and overcrowded jails, and this legislation will provide another option to get people the help they need.
House Bill 1006 recently passed unanimously out of the Indiana House of Representatives and now moves to the Senate for further consideration. We’ll also look to ensure that we are investing in expanding mental health options in the state’s proposed budget, which should begin moving through the legislative process in the coming weeks.
As the legislative session moves forward, I’ll continue providing updates on what’s happening at the Statehouse, and I encourage you to sign up to receive my e-newsletters by visiting in.gov/h88. You can also reach out with questions or input on these topics and others by contacting me at h88@iga.in.gov or 317-234-0931.
Purdue Women pull away from Northwestern to win, 76-61
The Purdue women’s basketball team pulled away in the second half to a 76-61 win over Northwestern on Sunday at Mackey Arena. At 17-7 on the year and 8-6 in the Big Ten, the Boilermakers matched their win total from head coach Katie Gearlds‘ first season in 2021-22. The senior class accounted for 62 of Purdue’s 76 points in the win – 81.6% of the total. Redshirt senior Caitlyn Harper led all scorers with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting and went 6-of-8 at the line.
A few days after becoming Purdue’s fifth player to make 200 career 3-pointers, fifth-year senior Cassidy Hardin connected from the outside four times to finish with 16 points. The Bargersville, Ind., native added five rebounds and a season-high three assists. Lasha Petree was a perfect 5-for-5 at the line to notch 12 points, and Abbey Ellis followed suit with 11 points with a 4-for-4 effort at the charity stripe.
For the second time this season against the Wildcats (8-17, 1-13), the Boilermakers scored 25 points off turnovers, coming from 18 Northwestern giveaways. Purdue limited its miscues to just 10. Purdue shot 43.1% from the field and 6-of-20 from behind the arc. The defense held Northwestern to 39% shooting, the 13th time this season the Boilermakers kept an opponent below 40%. Twenty-six of Purdue’s points came at the line on 30 attempts. Madison Layden matched her career high by making all six of her attempts. The Boilermakers made 25 free throws for the second time this season. The 26 makes were the most since March 17, 2017, against Green Bay.
Workshop for contractors interested in bidding on City of Bloomington Projects
The Bloomington Housing Authority (BHA), in partnership with the City of Bloomington’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Department (HAND) and Ivy Tech Community College’s Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship, is hosting a building contractor workshop to provide opportunities to learn about how to become a contractor to bid on small- to mid-scale construction projects.
The event is scheduled for February 23, 2023, from 9:30-11am at Ivy Tech Indiana Center for the Life Sciences at 501 Profile Parkway, Bloomington. The workshop is open to the public and will provide an opportunity to learn what residential construction projects are available through HAND and the procedures to become pre-qualified building contractors for bidding on upcoming projects. There will be a short presentation by BHA/HAND as well as open tables for Q&A with organizations important to the process of bidding on City projects.
The Bloomington Housing Authority and HAND contract out several thousands of dollars in construction and service work annually. This workshop is a way to expand the list of eligible contractors to bid on renovation and general service contracts as well as connect with the local contractor community.
This Week in Hoosier History
1851 – Ida Husted Harper was born in Fairfield in Franklin County, Indiana. She became a nationally known journalist and advocate for women’s suffrage. In addition to her many publications, she authored a three-volume biography of Susan B. Anthony.
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