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Justice and behavioral-health representatives: co-responder, navigator increased treatment deferrals and reduced jailings
Summary
At the Jan. 20 Fulton County commissioners meeting, justice and behavioral-health representatives said a mental health court co-responder and recovery supports navigator have increased deferrals to community treatment and reduced the number of people jailed at Bedford County Correctional Facility, producing measurable cost savings.
Representatives from the justice system and behavioral-health partners told the Fulton County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 20 that two recent initiatives — a mental health court co-responder and a recovery supports navigator — have increased deferrals away from incarceration and toward community-based treatment.
The presenters said the initiatives are funded through a blend of county mental-health resources and grants from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. According to the representatives, those changes corresponded with a measurable reduction in individuals incarcerated at the Bedford County Correctional Facility and with identifiable cost savings for the county.
Commissioners were told the next steps include mapping available resources to support staff training and exploring supported housing options to sustain community treatment placements. No formal vote or action to allocate new funding was taken during the open session; the board recorded the update and listed follow-up planning next on the administrative agenda.
The update was delivered by an unspecified group described in the minutes as "representatives from the justice system and behavioral health." The transcript did not include verbatim individual statements or a public Q&A; Commissioners did not disclose further operational details in open session.
