By Josh Mitchell
Corinth Today News Editor
The local mental health board may apply for a waiver to allow someone without a mental health-related college degree to lead the agency, the chairman said.
The Region IV board could ask the Mississippi Department of Mental Health to waive certain educational requirements for an executive director.
Region IV Board Chairman Greg Collier of Tishomingo County said Friday the board is checking into the waiver process and will discuss it further at its next meeting in a week or two.
It appears a waiver might be needed for current Region IV Interim Director Jason Ramey of Booneville to be appointed the permanent executive director.
State standards say an executive director of a community mental health center such as the taxpayer-funded Region IV should have a master’s degree in mental health or a mental health-related field to ensure funding and certification.
Ramey has a master’s degree in business administration but said he has worked in the mental health industry more than 13 years. Some of his experience includes running a geriatric psychiatric unit for Horizon Health at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Booneville.
The state department of mental health allows for waivers of certain standards on a case-by-case basis.
In recent weeks, there have been many questions in regard to who will be the next executive director of Region IV Mental Health Services. The agency is based in Corinth and provides mental health and substance abuse services to five counties.
Collier has said the Region IV board is not advertising the executive director position at this time and that Ramey is the only person being considered for the job right now.
The waiver request in regard to Ramey’s educational background would be made to the Department of Mental Health Division of Certification.
Region IV would have to show that waiving the standard would “not diminish the quality of service.” The length of time for the waiver would also have to be specified.
The Mississippi Department of Mental Health Review Committee and other personnel as needed would review the request. The committee would then approve or deny it within 30 days of the request being made.
Region IV is one of 14 community mental health centers around the state. Corinth Today spoke with some of the other centers in the state to learn the educational backgrounds of their executive directors.
Ricado Fraga, who is the executive director of the community mental health center based in Tupelo, has two master’s degrees— one in mental health and one in rehabilitation. Fraga is also a licensed professional counselor in Mississippi and a nationally certified counselor.
Sherlene Vince, the executive director in McComb, has a master’s degree in social work, and Maurice Kahlmuf, executive director in Meridian, has a master’s degree in counseling and has worked as a therapist. Dave Van, executive director of the Brandon-based center, has a master’s degree in counseling and is a nationally licensed marriage and family therapist.
If the waiver request were denied, the decision could be appealed and reviewed by the state department of mental health deputy director, Executive Director Diana Mikula or the Mississippi State Board of Mental Health.
Each community mental health center such as Region IV is governed by a commission appointed by the boards of supervisors in the counties served. Region IV covers Alcorn, Prentiss, Tippah, DeSoto and Tishomingo counties. The prior Region IV executive director, Charlie Spearman Sr. of Booneville, retired in June after 21 years at the helm.
For the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, Region IV had more than $25 million in operating revenue.
I think the director should have a master degree in mental health there are to many people with mental health Illiness not getting the health they deserve. They seem to give everyone the same diagnose bipolar, schizophrenia, with a few medication. If you have money, if you don’t have money, good luck getting your medicine. Sometime they have grant money. Their is so many people who are suffering with mental Illiness and no insurance. This is the only place they have.This job need to be plublic so everyone who have the right credentials can apply. We see what is happening everyday you turn the tv on . When they don’t get help they lash out on society, who knows who might be the next victim!
Mississippi politics and nepotism at its finest.
In my opinion that is.