Andrews Center reports jail-diversion gains, seeks continued funding for new programs

Keisha Morris, the Sequential Intercept Model coordinator for the Andrews Center, briefed the Smith County Commissioner’s Court on Feb. 25 about programs that aim to divert people with serious mental illness from the criminal justice system and to coordinate care across local partners.

“SIM supports community-based jail diversion services to individuals identified as having a mental illness or co-occurring psychiatric substance use disorder,” Morris said. She described six teams the program now oversees, including mobile crisis outreach, crisis respite, forensic competency restoration (in‑jail and outpatient), Takumi (reentry case management), outpatient substance use disorder services and OSAR (outreach, screening, assessment and referral) for Region 4.

Morris reported service and outcome figures for the previous year. Key numbers she presented to the court included: about…