The Douglas County Commission on Wednesday will consider a proposal that would add three new psychiatrists to the county health system in 2019.
The proposal would have the county subsidize the cost of hiring three new psychiatrists at a cost of $350,000, said Bob Tryanski, county director of behavioral health projects. The positions would be funded from the $1.9 million the County Commission allocated in the 2019 budget for behavioral health initiatives.
The proposal is a modification of a $900,000 line item that County Commissioners approved for the 2018 budget, which was to have added four new positions through the hiring of a psychiatrist and behavioral health nurse practitioner at both Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center and at Heartland Community Health Center. That goal was not realized because of the difficulty in recruiting and retaining the professionals, Tryanski said.
Read more: LJWorld.com.