I'm not sure how many people realize that the taxpayers of polk county will ultimately wind up paying more for mental health services for indigent persons in polk county with the recent turn of events that Broadlawns adminstration and the Board are pursuing. Broadlawns is a county hospital and therefore the taxpayers contribute a proportionate percentage to the facility. In the event that mental health services diminish at the hospital, county residents that cannot afford services will ultimately be forced to go and/or be sent elsewhere. By Iowa law, the county of residence of a person is responsible for mental health care that the person cannot afford and the county that the person lives in at the time the mental health diagnosis is given is the county who will pay for the cost. Therefore, private hospitals and/or out of county hospitals and mental health services will be used and often the money spent by the county will go to other counties and the revenue will not remain in polk county due to a lack of beds, practitioners, etc. There will be no savings to the polk county taxpayers and will actually increase the tax burden substantionally. If you cannot provide care for the mentally ill appropriately in the area where they reside, exacerbations will increase and inpatient stays will increase. The demand of administrative personnel to see more patients by double and triple booking may appear to be good on paper, but it is a poor attempt by bean counters to make money. Effectually, more will be spent and in a year or two the system will be broken and those in charge and the citizens of polk county will be wondering why.