UNMC forensic psychiatry fellowship director introduced

The new Sarpy County Corrections Center will be able to provide mental health services to inmates in the coming months with the start of the UNMC forensic psychiatrist fellowship program. Tuesday, the fellowship director was introduced by the county board.

The new Sarpy County Corrections Center will be able to provide mental health services to inmates in the coming months with the start of the UNMC forensic psychiatrist fellowship program. Tuesday, the fellowship director was introduced by the county board.

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The new Sarpy County Corrections Center will be able to provide mental health services to inmates in the coming months with the start of the UNMC forensic psychiatrist fellowship program. Tuesday, the fellowship director was introduced by the county board.

Tuesday, the Sarpy County Board introduced the person that will be responsible for providing mental health treatment to inmates in their new jail, while also training the next generation of psychiatrists in Nebraska.

Dr. Kimberly Clawson will lead UNMC's forensic psychiatry fellowship program. The fellowship will be at the site of the new Sarpy County Correction Center.

The Sarpy County Board signed a partnership agreement with UNMC in 2021. The board will invest over one million dollars in a forensic psychiatry fellowship program over the course of 5.25 years.

The goal of the partnership is to reduce the number of inmates with mental illnesses who re-offend.

"What we see in the justice system is people offending as a result of their mental illness," Dr. Clawson said. "If we treat those mental illnesses, then we see a direct decrease in the number of offenses."

According to Sarpy County Corrections, one in five of their inmates have a serious mental illness. Those inmates are 36% more likely to re-offend upon release.

County Board Chair Angi Burmeister said the program will help address the problem long term.

"It's pervasive in our society and we're not doing enough to make an impactful difference," she said. "We definitely think it's important, it's one of the top priorities of our board, particularly those people coming through our criminal justice system."

She said the new corrections center will be a better place for those services. The behavioral health wing is designed to meet best practices for mental health treatment.

The wing is painted with soothing colors and provides housing for 28 inmates separate from the rest of the prison population.

Dr. Clawson said the fellowship program will also help train the next generation of psychiatrists by giving people the training they need to get into the field.

"This fellowship is going to bring psychiatrists to Nebraska, specifically psychiatrists who are interested and passionate about working with people who have very serious mental illness in the justice system," she said.

Burmeister said not having enough mental health specialists is part of the problem that contributes to the recidivism cycle.

"That forensic part is one that's difficult to find in people and having this feeder so that we can train more people in that field will help us cut off this circular process of people with mental illness coming in and out of the jail," Burmeister said.

The new corrections center is set to open within the coming weeks. Dr. Clawson said she'll need time to develop the program and get resources in place before she starts taking patients. She said patients will start being treated in a few months.

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