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Commission approves behavioral-health services contract for Flathead County Detention Center
Summary
The county approved a contract to have the health department's mobile crisis team deliver assessments, peer support and care navigation to people in the detention center and to assist with suicide risk assessments and release planning.
Flathead County commissioners voted March 27 to authorize a contract enabling the Flathead County Health Department’s behavioral health staff to provide services inside the Flathead County Detention Center.
James Pike, behavioral health supervisor for the health department, told commissioners the contract would allow mobile crisis therapists to conduct non-emergency crisis assessments in the jail during downtime and would deploy care coordinators to provide peer support and care navigation for inmates preparing for release. Pike said the work aims to improve paper work, connect people to community treatment and reduce recidivism.
Pike said the team will also work with jail staff to conduct suicide-safety assessments so the jail can place individuals at an appropriate level of care and manage capacity. He said the department and the jail will track monthly metrics related to mental-health patients, general population proportions and recidivism as part of collaborative reporting commissioners attend.
A commissioner asked whether the service continues after release; Pike said the mobile crisis team’s role is to connect people to case management or other continuing services, and that staff may later respond if the person has a crisis in the community. Commissioners moved and seconded approval of the document for signature; the motion carried by voice vote.
The county did not specify contract dollar amounts at the meeting; staff said the program will be monitored with monthly reporting and coordinated metrics with the jail.
