Whatcom County behavioral health panel prioritizes reentry, Division Street planning and data work groups

Whatcom County’s Behavioral Health Committee on a virtual call agreed to form three small work groups to develop policy-level recommendations this year on reentry services, services and facilities at the Division Street campus, and behavioral-health data needs tied to the Justice Project implementation plan.

The committee’s co-chairs framed the assignment as policy work rather than program implementation, asking volunteer members to convene small groups to “ground truth” possibilities and return with recommendations. Co-chair Steven Gockley said diversion and reentry are related but that reentry ‘‘is much more in our wheelhouse’’ for community-based supports.

The committee emphasized coordination with other task-force bodies. Members repeatedly noted overlap with the Legal and Justice Committee and with prosecutorial diversion work already underway, and urged the co-chairs to avoid duplicating existing operational efforts. Jill Nixon, legislative coordinator to the task force, and staff…