Bowen Center presents annual report to commissioners
MARSHALL COUNTY — County Director of Bowen Center Lindie Leary presented Bowen Center’s annual report on services to the County Commissioners during their latest meeting.
In the report, it states that funding from Marshall County totals $355,597. The total free care provided equals $1,060,019. Total salary for Bowen Center’s 98 employees totals $5,050,199. They serve a total of 3,009 patients and had a total of 58,546 services.
“Compared to the year before, that’s an addition of 11 more employees, four of those being our therapists and the rest being our skills providers. So, we were able to provide a whole lot more services,” said Leary. She added that there is still such a need that she could employ seven more employees. “We have some people on wait lists just because the need is there and it’s definitely not slowing down.”
Leary took some time to list the services that the Marshall County Bowen Center provides. Medication management is offered five days a week with a psychiatric provider. A fifth psychiatric provider is about to be brought on who will be with them for five days a week which, Leary says, will double their services and will increase their capacity to the county.
“We also offer substance abuse programming. We use preferred evidence-based practices that corrections, probation, DCS ask us and also correlate with, again, us trying to stay in line with evidence-based practices in all the services we do,” said Leary.
Marshall County is also a recipient of a HRSA Grant which is a three-year, $1 million grant, Leary said. With the grant, there were two new positions created that offer, free of charge, services for substance use treatment with a peer recovery coach and a recovery navigator.
Those were only a few examples of the services Leary listed. For more services, visit https://www. bowencenter.org/plymouth.
“Coming up in this fiscal year, we have the permanent supportive housing that’s over by Centier Bank there on Jefferson. That’s something that we’re going to be housed in to be able to provide treatment. If you think about
some of these really sad stories that we’ve had to live through the last couple of years with these babies out at the hotels and this is hopefully something that’s going to pull these families. The focus is going to be on single moms with children, but it’s not going to be exclusive to that. But being able to wrap around them and help them get out of that situation is the goal,” said Leary.
Finally, she told the commissioners that she’s been working with Judge Matt Sarber and a team of probation and community corrections on the Drug Court which should be up and running next april.
“It’s going to be a great way to reduce the flow of who we have in our jail. That’s going to give them a second chance for those who qualify for Drug Court,” Leary said.
Commissioner Stan Klotz asked Leary to explain what role Bowen Center will play in the Drug Court. Leary said that the individuals have to meet certain qualifications that are set by the state. If they meet those qualifications, then they can enter the Drug Court program.
“It’s meant to be more of a diversion so that way they’re not just going to jail. They’re going into treatment,” Leary said. She went on to explain that a team of professionals meet weekly. Bowen Center will be the treatment provider for that group. “Once they get selected and it’s determined whatever level of supervision they need to have, it really then falls on to the treatment that they’re getting. Because they have to be very engaged and then we have to be in good communication with that team on if they’re meeting all the requirements of what their Drug Court sentence is. and if they’re not then there’s sanctions.”