Building Justice and Behavioral Health Collaboration in Beaver County, Pa Mental Health and Justice Collaboration Conference March 1,

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Beaver County - Overview Semi-rural county located in the southwestern region of the state about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. Diverse area with pockets of affluence, as well as very poor districts, urban, and rural areas, and varying economic resources. The approximate population of Beaver County is 180,000 – 23% of the population is under the age of % of that population lives in poverty. – 11% of the total population lives in poverty The average annual wage for Beaver County was stated at $25,254, as compared to the average annual wage for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania of $30,081. The racial composition of Beaver County is predominantly Caucasian (92.5%), followed by African American (6%), and has not changed significantly in the past 20 years. 3

Lessons Learned: Building collaboration takes time – a long time and “timing” is everything Personalities matter more than they should Behavioral Health has to demonstrate the value it can add Do what makes sense for your community A nudge from funders can help greatly 4

Former Beaver County Jail 5

Current Beaver County Jail 6

Moving toward a CJAB Mental Health Task Force at the jail – Community behavioral health provider – Faith-based organization – Welfare – Education – Jail and Probation staff Criminal Operations Committee – Judge – Warden – Commissioner – DA – Sherriff – Others as needed 7

Behavioral Health Forensic Services Jail-based COD treatment Reentry Liaison Sponsors Housing supports Seeking Safety – trauma informed care Thinking for change Outpatient in the courthouse Forensic Assertive Community Treatment Vocational services in the jail and community MHFA 8

Funding Sources BJA – encouraging collaboration and reentry services OMHSAS – encouraging COD treatment PCCD – many initiatives and requiring a CJAB SAMHSA – encouraging COD treatment – attention to homelessness and development of a countywide system of care SFF – supporting COD and MHFA 9

CJAB Members Criminal Court Judge County Commissioner Court Administrator Clerk of Court BH Administrator District Attorney Public Defender Police Officer Magistrate Victim Assistance Adult Probation Juvenile Probation State Parole Community Provider Sheriff Warden 10

11 CJAB Representatives County Commissioners Administrative Criminal Court Judge Magisterial District Judge District Attorney Chief Public Defender Deputy District Court Administrator County and State Adult and Juvenile Probation Warden of the County Jail County Sheriff Local law enforcement 911 Center Community and Peer Representatives Victim’s Advocate Family members Community partners Peers Behavioral Health Representatives Behavioral Health Administrator Behavioral health providers Crisis providers The task force is a subcommittee of the Criminal Justice Advisory Board Members represent all major behavioral health and criminal justice partners CJAB SIM Subcommittee

CJAB / Behavioral Health Collaborative Strategic Planning Goal is to enhance the integration of the criminal justice and behavioral health systems for adults and juveniles in Beaver County Involved a systems review and needs assessment, resulting in a strategic plan that: – Increases public safety by facilitating collaboration among systems – Encourages early interventions and diversion opportunities for non-violent individuals – Provides treatment options – Promotes training – Facilitates communication, collaboration, and the delivery of support services Included cross-system trainings to increase collaboration and awareness Used the Sequential Intercept Model as the guiding framework 12

Full Circle Building collaboration takes time – a long time and “timing” is everything Personalities matter more than they should Behavioral Health needs to demonstrate the value it can add Do what makes sense for YOUR piece of the world A nudge from funders can help greatly 13