In an effort to address the current status of mental health care in Vicksburg, a town hall meeting has been scheduled.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will host the free event, which will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, at the Warren County Courthouse, 1009 Cherry St. in the Circuit Court room.

“A focus of this meeting will be the role that law enforcement has and to discern if additional training is needed to assist law enforcement in dealing with persons with extreme mental illness,” Randall Williams said.

Williams is a member of the NAMI Vicksburg and board member of NAMI Mississippi. He will also serve as the moderator for the town hall meeting.

Williams said he hopes the interactions between law enforcement, state and regional subject matter experts and concerned residents will help provide important information and insights, as well as create ideas about how to move forward together.

“Mental illness is a difficult subject,” Williams said. “It carries related stigma and other challenges and is a public health arena facing shortfalls and changes in services and facilities.”

Williams said panelists for the evening will be the executive director of NAMI Mississippi Tameka Tobias-Smith; the executive director for the Warren-Yazoo Behavioral Health, Community Services and Facilities Bobby Barton; director of the Warren County Holding Facility Stacey Waites, LCSW; Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace; Vicksburg Police Chief Milton Moore and Brent Hurley, who is with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, Crisis Intervention Team.

Topics will include the top three mental health issues in Mississippi, crisis intervention training for law enforcement, insights concerning community mental health and an overview of mental health issues in the city of Vicksburg.

There will also be a question and answer session.

Questions, however, must be submitted in written form prior to 7:20 p.m. the night of the event.

For more information, call 601-630-7724 or email ran.willi@yahoo.com.