Carbon County officials are looking at ways to enhance mental health services for inmates.

On Wednesday, during the monthly meeting of the county prison board, Sheila Theodorou of Carbon-Monroe-Pike Mental Health/Developmental Services, spoke to the board about the current mental health services offered at the prison.She discussed ways the county can collaborate with local agencies and hospitals to provide a more comprehensive network of services in the areas of mental health, drug and alcohol and primary care.Carbon County currently contracts with Blue Mountain Health System for primary medical care, Carbon-Monroe-Pike Drug and Alcohol Commission for drug and alcohol services, and CMP MH/DS as well as Northwest Health Services, located in the Lehigh Valley, for mental health and psychiatric services.Theodorou suggested the county see if it can contract with local vendors such as Blue Mountain Health System for its psychiatric services.This would allow the primary care physicians to collaborate treatment options with psychiatrists under the same network and provide for a stronger form of care for inmates.Currently, a psychiatrist travels from outside Carbon County to visit the prison once a week.Acting Warden Timothy Fritz said approximately 180 inmates are in the prison at this time and about 50 to 60 inmates, or one-third of the population, are on psychotropic medications.Theodorou also suggested another possible option telepsychiatry, which is done using a live television feed between the psychiatrist and the inmate at the prison.The board was receptive to the ideas.Commissioner William O'Gurek said he believes the prison should work more closely with Blue Mountain Health System to provide the necessary services.Commissioner Wayne Nothstein said that coordinating services between the hospital, D&A, MH/DS and the county could help cut down on inmates repeating offenses because they did not receive proper treatment to correct their mental health problems or addictions."We need to expand services," he said.Sheriff Dwight Nothstein asked if there would be any cost to changing services.Theodorou said she believed it would be cost neutral, with only a possible minimal cost if the county needed to purchase telepsychiatry equipment.The board plans to set up a committee and schedule a meeting with the various agencies to see what can be done to create stronger services.In other matters, Frank Shubeck, work release director, said that the county received recommendations from the state on its firing range, which is not yet open to officers.Shubeck said the county will work on a few suggestions once the ground thaws out, including hanging a chain across the entrance to the range, putting up signs and building the backstops.Shubeck expects to be able to finish the range once the winter weather breaks.The range will be used a few weeks a year for firearms certification of Carbon County corrections officers, probation officers, the sheriff's department and Nesquehoning police.