Megan Navarro
SAN MARCOS — The Hays County Commissioners Court authorized the acceptance of a grant to create a new Behavioral Health Court Liaison position at its July 28 meeting, as well as approved multiple amendments to contracts related to the Mental Health Court (MHC) and Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program.
County Court at Law No. 3 has been awarded a $165,000 grant from the Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health to implement the Court Liaison Pilot Program for the period of Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2028. This funding includes $102,877 for personnel, $52,075 for fringe benefits, $3,995 for travel, $2,553 for equipment and $3,500 for other program expenses.
It also creates a Behavioral Health Court Liaison position, in which the individual would do the following, according to agenda documents: coordinate behavioral health services across the criminal justice system; improve case processing; support statutory compliance; and enhance continuity of care for justice-involved individuals with behavioral health needs.
“We believe that this Behavioral Health Court Liaison is going to play an important role in helping to divert individuals from our criminal justice system who have mental health and other behavioral health issues,” said Judge Elaine Brown, who oversees the MHC, Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program and County Court At Law No. 3.
Commissioners also pulled two other items together along with the grant-funded position. These are related to amendments to multiple County Court at Law Mental Health Specialty Court Program contracts, as well as an Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program memorandum of understanding (MOU).
The County Court at Law Mental Health Specialty Court Program requested amendments to adjust the not-to-exceed amounts of the following contracts:
• A Better Boat, LLC: $25,500 to $30,200
• Axis of Mental Healthcare, PLLC: $98,750 to $114,420
• C. Nichole Mueller-McMorris, LCSW: $9,500 to $8,400
• Texas Helps (Evoke Wellness): $10,000 to $5,815
• Moonstone Counseling, PLLC: $9,500 to $5,200
• Nova Recovery Center: $37,750 to $33,500
• Revive Recovery Sober Living: $13,980 to $8,610
• Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.: $15,200 to $14,035
As for the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program, the only change in cost that was requested in the amendments was for the contract with Philip Carolina from $10,000 to $12,500. However, the program did request the termination of the MOU with Dr. Vikram Mehra, as those services are covered under the MOU with Axis of Mental Healthcare, PLLC — which is at $64,800.
Commissioner Walt Smith said, looking at the numbers, there are some cuts of 35-40% to individual programs, leading him to question if Brown anticipates seeing them fluctuate based on the needs of specific cases or as a guide for the following year because specific types of services are not being used.
“We kind of look at where the need is and which programs and opportunities that we have are best utilized and that is why we move money around. We have been taking in a lot more high-need individuals lately into the court and so, because of that, we really need to make sure we have intensive services for those individuals to get them the help that they need to keep them out of our criminal justice system again,” the MHC judge responded. “With assistant outpatient treatment, some of those changes were actually because of the way that the MOUs were drafted and the fact that we are now using access to mental health care and they will use their own psychiatrist. They will pay the psychiatrist versus the county paying the psychiatrist directly, which is a better use, I think, of the funds that we have and I think it will actually benefit the county financially a lot more.”
There was a consensus across the dais on the importance of being able to offer these services to the individuals in the county who need it.
“I am really excited about this also because it provides or enhances that continuity of care for those individuals,” said commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe. “I like that we are [now] providing more specialized treatment and care for these individuals, which is needed. A lot of times, we don't get that specialty care that, even in our health department and other areas, individuals need and so, I support it.”
“Thank you for the diligent contract management of these services and thank you for keeping an eye on that and having to adjust when necessary and y’all have been great on staying on top of that so, I fully support your initiatives,” said commissioner Michelle Cohen.
In the future, Smith said that he would like to see more information presented on what each provider offers, as well as the MHC having the health department “looped in” on what those contracts are.
“... There are a number of these contractors, as well as our regional authority, that work with both y'all and our health department and having them involved in that process somehow to even just know that it's coming. I sit on the regional mental health board and I know if there is something coming through the health department, a contract with them or there is something that is pursuant to that, I'm aware of it,” he said.
The commissioner then recalled a couple of months ago, there was an item — unbeknownst to him — that had come from the court with the regional authority and he tried to defend what Hays County was doing, or at least try to understand, but was left with zero background on the matter.
Ultimately, the commissioners court unanimously approved the grant-funded Behavioral Health Court Liaison position, along with the requested contractual amendments.
