Sangamon County Mental Health Commission to hold its first meeting on Wednesday, April 2 at 6 p.m.
Sangamon County Mental Health Commission to hold its first meeting on Wednesday, April 2 at 6 p.m.
The Sangamon County Mental Health Commission will host its first meeting on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 6 p.m. at the Sangamon County Building, Committee Room 223 located at 200 S. 9th Street in downtown Springfield.
The commissioners were nominated by Sangamon County Chairman Andy Van Meter and approved by the county board at its March meeting.
The appointed members of the commission are:
| Marty Fairchild |
Former Sangamon County Farm Bureau Director & Trustee for Rochester Fire Department |
| Janice Gambach |
Former Executive Director of Memorial Behavioral Health |
| Chris Jones |
Springfield Police Officer, Crime Stoppers Coordinator |
| Gina Lathan |
Sangamon County Board Member, Public Health Committee Member |
| Mike Murphy |
President and CEO of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce |
| Pam Neuman |
Former Sangamon County Farm Bureau board member & USDA-Illinois Farm Service Agency board member |
| Josh Sabo |
Executive Director of Heartland Housed |
| James Schackmann |
Sangamon County Board Member, Chair of Public Health Committee |
| Kari Wolf |
Chair of Psychiatry at SIU School of Medicine |
Pam Neuman’s nomination for the commission will be considered by the county board at its April meeting. She is a former Sangamon County Farm Bureau member and serves on the USDA-Illinois Farm Service Agency board.
“We are so grateful for these Sangamon County residents for agreeing to volunteer to bring their expertise and experiences to serve on this commission that we hope will continue to educate the community on the ongoing need for mental health services and the best options to fund the unmet needs,” said Van Meter. “We are also thankful to the Massey Commission for their recommendation to move forward on this effort.”
After receiving the Massey Commission’s recommendation to move forward on establishing a 708 Mental Health Board, the Sangamon County Board adopted a resolution on January 13, 2025 to establish a commission to assess the need for mental health services in our community, study the successful implementation of a Mental Health Board in other communities and educate our community about the costs and benefits of establishing a Mental Health Board for Sangamon County. The board also asked for the newly appointed commission to submit a final report of findings by December 1, 2025.
Chair Van Meter appointed Mike Murphy to serve as the chair of this commission.
“I am honored to serve alongside this group of fellow Sangamon County residents to study and make recommendations on this important issue of how to better address mental health challenges in our community,” Murphy said. “This is an issue that affects us all in one way or another and we need to address it better than we do today.”
Sangamon County Mental Health Commission meetings are open to the public. Information about the meetings will be available at Sangamon County Mental Health Commission. The agenda for the first meeting is available here.
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