Minnehaha County mental health holds on record pace

County could have to hire new mental health professional to cope with demand

Minnehaha County is on pace to see a record number of mental health holds this year, prompting the leaders of the Minnehaha County Board of Mental Illness to warn commissioners that they may need to hire another mental health professional.

Through March, the county had seen 390 holds. Those are people who are suffering from mental distress to harm themselves or others, and can be held at various locations, including the jail, the Juvenile Detention Center or Avera Mental Health.

That puts the county on pace for 1,590 holds this year, an increase of 40 from last year. Tom Weerheim who, along with Erin Johnson is co-chair of the board, said they have been seeing 8 to 10 percent growth per year in holds.

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