Lewis and Clark County Approves Temporary Mental Health Contracts, Plans Jail Hires

Lewis and Clark County leaders approved temporary contracts to maintain behavioral health coverage at the detention center after the previous provider stopped operations, ensuring continuous care for people in custody and reducing pressure on emergency services.

The County Commission voted Tuesday to contract with the Center for Mental Health through the end of February. Under the agreement, the Center will provide a behavioral health therapist on weekdays during business hours and have staff on-call for crisis responses outside those hours. The county will pay $110 per hour for time the therapist spends at the jail and $500 per day for crisis response, capped at $52,000.

Western Montana Mental Health Center had handled jail-based services but declined to continue after county leaders altered the service model. To reduce reliance on outside providers, the county plans to directly hire behavioral health staff for the detention facility. Kellie McBride, Lewis and Clark County director of criminal justice services, said the county intends to hire two therapists and one case manager for the jail.

County officials also opened a request for proposals for a countywide crisis response team. The team would be dispatched to assist 911 and other emergency calls with mental health components, with the aim of stabilizing situations, diverting people from arrest when appropriate, and preventing crises from escalating into use-of-force incidents or prolonged emergency-room stays.

County leaders emphasized that the short-term contract is intended to prevent any lapse in services while recruitment and contracting proceed. The interim arrangement keeps a clinician physically present in the facility during weekdays and preserves around-the-clock access to crisis consultation, which county officials say is critical amid ongoing operational changes.

The decisions come as the county advances plans to expand the Lewis and Clark County Detention Center to address severe overcrowding. Commissioners said the upgraded facility will include improved spaces designated for behavioral health treatment, signaling a longer-term commitment to integrating mental health care into detention operations.

For Helena residents, the immediate effect is continuity of care inside the jail and a new pathway toward county-employed behavioral health staff and a coordinated crisis response. Budgetary impacts are limited for the short term by the $52,000 cap, but hiring staff and standing up a countywide crisis team will carry ongoing costs and operational responsibilities that commissioners will need to monitor.

Next steps include implementing the Center for Mental Health contract through February, advancing recruitment for the two therapist positions and one case manager, and evaluating proposals for the crisis response team. County officials will return to the commission with updates as hiring and the expansion project progress, and the community can expect further details at upcoming commission meetings.