KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County Commissioner Kyle Ward is a big thinker. He has been trying to wrap his brain around how to approach the mental health crisis in Knox County. It's a big problem, he said.
"I think everybody can see we have a huge mental health issue that's been growing," Ward said. "Not just here locally, but across the nation."
Homelessness has increased in Knox County year over year since the COVID-19 pandemic, and so has the number of overdose deaths as tracked on the Knox County District Attorney General's suspected overdose death dashboard.
Ward said those increased numbers reflect the number of people seeking mental health services in our area.
"You can look at the economic part of this such as the mental health burden on the hospital system, where they're not prepared to deal with mental illness. The taxpayers are paying for an entire wing at the Knox County jail, to serve people who are struggling. It's an ongoing issue," Ward said.
Access to mental health resources in Tennessee continues to rank below the national average. A study by United Way shows Tennessee ranks 41 out of 50 in medical access to mental health care.
"It's a very complex issue. Do we have certain things? Yes. Are they enough? My answer is no. I think the common person in Knox County could logically come to that conclusion," Ward said.
He proposed a big solution to this big problem. Ward wanted Knox County commissioners to support a resolution to ask the state to reallocate $20 million in funding from a pedestrian bridge project to instead fund a new mental health hospital with short-term and long-term care.
As part of the Transportation Modernization Act passed in 2023, the state, through TDOT provided $20 million in funding to kickstart a pedestrian bridge connecting the University of Tennessee campus to the South Knoxville waterfront.
You can read more about the bridge plan here.
The only hold-up on the project is that it will cost around $70 million to build. Knox County is about $50 million short. Commissioners previously asked the federal government to support the project. They asked for $25 million, but Ward said it got turned down.
"We need another $25 million from the Fed. The Fed said, 'No, we're not gonna give you the money.' So now we just have $20 million sitting here," Ward said. "Instead of the money just sitting there doing nothing, we would put it to good work, since it's our taxpayer dollars."
Ward's proposal caused some raised eyebrows. Is it possible?
Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally (R - Oak Ridge) said it likely isn't possible.
"The bridge is paid for by gas tax money. And some of the special appropriations we were allocated $3 billion ... we allocated for roads and infrastructure. I would say it probably falls outside of the scope," Mcnally said.
However, McNally said this specific proposal will not work. He admits there is a lot of work to be done in the mental health sector.
"I know, it's difficult for the police staff to take them all the way down to Chattanooga, for mental health care. I know we need to beef up those facilities," Mcnally said.
On Sunday, Senator Becky Duncan Massey (R - Knoxville) said she doesn't support a new facility.
"I don't think we need another 1,000-person facility. We've got a lot of beds for short-term care. And in fact, we don't have enough frontline staff to be able to fill all those beds," she said.
Ward said he has researched differently.
"If that was the case, then why are we sending 250 people on average a year down to Chattanooga, and that taking care of them here?" Ward said.
County leaders voted against Ward's proposal. They voted in favor of sending a letter to the governor asking for more mental health support.