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Buncombe County justice advisory council finalizes direction for two‑year strategic plan emphasizing behavioral‑health diversion and court reforms
Summary
The Justice Resource Advisory Council refined goals for a two‑year strategic plan on Feb. 6, 2025, prioritizing behavioral‑health system use by law enforcement, review of inpatient bed access, community engagement with people with lived experience, domestic‑violence offender referral protocols, court data to reduce disparities, and exploratory diversion programs.
The Justice Resource Advisory Council met Feb. 6, 2025, and worked through a draft two‑year strategic plan that centers behavioral‑health responses, court processing reforms and new workgroups to coordinate community engagement and domestic‑violence responses.
Facilitator Lee Creighton told the council the draft sets short, actionable goals and establishes workgroups with a named chair, a county staff lead and partner representatives. The council agreed the plan should be flexible and that each workgroup should present quarterly progress updates.
On behavioral health, council members endorsed two goals: review law‑enforcement referrals and the utilization of the community behavioral‑health urgent care (BHU/Beehive) and examine inpatient treatment bed capacity and access. An unidentified participant said Buncombe County is "the high 80% utilizer of the Beehive," and others said the BHU sees roughly "close to 300 a month" — comments Council members used to argue the facility is already well‑used but may need clearer pathways to serve as an effective…
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