Earlier this legislative session Rep. Tyler Clancy, R-Provo proposed moving the Utah State Hospital. He said (according to the Salt Lake Tribune) “The crucial point for me is that right now, jails and prisons are our No. 1 mental health provider. Let’s change that. Let’s make sure people get the care we deserve.” Disability Law Center, Mental Health America of Utah and others opposed a similar proposal during the 2023 legislative session. Now, Rep. Clancy’s substitute bill, “HB299, approved unanimously by legislators at a House Judiciary Committee hearing early Tuesday, cuts all mention of the state hospital’s proposed sale, … Instead, the substitute includes a new provision requiring the Utah Substance Utah and Mental Health Advisory Council to study issues with civil commitment, the process by which someone with severe mental illness is court-ordered to treatment.” Today we’ll talk with Rep. Clancy about mental health issues, homelessness, and other issues.
Tom Williams worked as a part-time UPR announcer for a few years and joined Utah Public Radio full-time in 1996. He is a proud graduate of Uintah High School in Vernal and Utah State University (B. A. in Liberal Arts and Master of Business Administration.) He grew up in a family that regularly discussed everything from opera to religion to politics. He is interested in just about everything and loves to engage people in conversation, so you could say he has found the perfect job as host “Access Utah.” He and his wife Becky, live in Logan.
