NATCHEZ — Recent state budget cuts are leaving Adams County officials searching for a place to send the county’s mental health patients.

The Mississippi State Hospital sent a letter to Adams County last week saying it completely stopped accepting patients with major mental disorders, as well as male patients admitted for drug and alcohol dependency on May 10.

Female drug and alcohol patients will still be admitted, the letter said, but 30 formerly available beds were cut from the psychiatric ward, leaving Adams County among several regions in the state left searching for alternatives.

Adams County Chancery Clerk Brandi Lewis said she received the letter from the hospital detailing the closures and said the hospital cited recent funding reduction by the state Legislature as a reason for the reduced services.

“The budget was reduced for mental health by $8.3 million in the state,” Lewis said. “We are one of only three regions that does not have a facility.”

Mental health was already underfunded in the state, Lewis said, and many Adams County patients were already made to wait several weeks for spots to open in the state hospital’s treatment center, staying either in the county jail or at home.

“The males for drugs and alcohol will be the biggest issue, finding a location for them,” Lewis said. “Since we got the letter, we’ve had three male drug and alcohol (patients) coming in for commitment. It’s a problem, and it’s not going away either.”

Men are admitted to inpatient facilities for chemical dependency far more often than women in the county, Lewis said, but she cannot be certain as to why services for men were specifically cut.

Adams County is in district 11 for mental health, Lewis said, which includes eight other counties. Lewis said she is working to find a solution with other counties in the region as well as nearby regions.

“They are trying to maybe work something out with district 15, which includes Yazoo and Warren counties,” Lewis said. “We are hoping that we can get them to earmark five beds at their facility in Vicksburg for our region.”

Adams County Board of Supervisors President Mike Lazarus said the county could seek funding to build its own inpatient mental health facility.

“Y’all are going to have to get together and get the region on board and get you a facility built,” Lazarus said. “What if each county can designate a certain amount of millage, just to build this facility?”

Lewis said counties which have facilities currently charge surrounding counties either per-patient or with a flat retainer to fund the services for the region.

Lewis said she has been in contact with personnel at the Mississippi Department of Mental Health to determine whether funding may be available for a new facility, and was told the primary problem was finding a location.

Lewis suggested converting the recently closed Natchez Community Hospital to serve as a mental health facility, but is unsure whether it will be possible.

Lazarus said he feels the state Legislature is unfairly burdening the counties with the cost of mental health.

“When President Obama wanted the healthcare (expansion), you said no,” he said, figuratively addressing the Legislature. “But you do the same things to us, you start these feel-good programs on the state level, that really work, and say, ‘We need the money to come from the counties now.’ You’re forcing it on us.”

Lazarus said the budget and tax cuts at the state-level are irresponsible.

“Why in the world would you cut taxes when you have so many needs in this state?” he said. “We cut taxes here when we could afford it, but we didn’t leave anything unfunded. They’re cutting mental health, our roads are falling apart, got a bridge fixing to close, but they can get up there and hoopla that (they) cut taxes.”

County board attorney Scott Slover said he believes the budget cuts may even be unconstitutional.

“The Mississippi Constitution says the State of Mississippi shall provide for the mental health of the people,” Slover said. “If you’re not going to do it, amend the constitution.”

Slover said the state could not pick and choose what to fund.

“I don’t think it’s legal, but that’s exactly what they’re doing,” he said.

District 2 supervisor David Carter said he sees the budget cuts as a failure by the government help those who cannot take care of themselves.

“If they keep cutting these programs, I don’t know how anyone is going to provide these (services),” Carter said. “They’ll just be running in the streets. That’s where the options are coming down to.”