Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Justice and behavioral-health partners tell Fulton County commissioners co-responder, navigator initiatives have reduced local jail population
Summary
Representatives said a mental health court co-responder and recovery supports navigator have increased deferrals to community treatment, reduced incarcerations at the Bedford County Correctional Facility and produced cost savings; commissioners asked staff to map resources and explore supported housing.
FULTON COUNTY — Representatives from the justice system and behavioral health told the Fulton County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 20 that recent joint initiatives have increased diversion to community-based treatment and reduced the number of people incarcerated at the Bedford County Correctional Facility.
The officials described two specific efforts: a mental health court co-responder and a recovery supports navigator. According to the meeting minutes, those programs — together with strengthened existing systems — have led to "measurable cost savings" for the county by lowering jail population levels. The minutes say funding for those efforts has come from a blend of County Mental Health resources and grants from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.
Commissioners recorded next steps including mapping available resources to support training for staff and first responders, and exploring supported housing options for people diverted to community treatment. No formal vote was recorded on these planning items; they were listed as follow-up actions in the meeting notes.
The minutes do not name individual justice- or behavioral-health speakers; they present the update as a report from "representatives from the justice system and behavioral health." The record does not include supporting data (such as inmate counts or dollar-amount savings) or a formal presentation slide deck. The minutes state only that the group has "observed a notable reduction" in local incarcerations and that the county realized "measurable cost savings."
Services for Children Director Christine McQuade also met with commissioners during the session to discuss a potential hire for a Caseworker II position; McQuade said she would obtain quotes for a printer and projector to support department operations. Separate staff meetings (a Safety Committee meeting and a Department Head meeting) were noted as having taken place with separate minutes on file.
Next steps recorded in the minutes include mapping resources for training and exploring supported housing; commissioners did not adopt specific policy changes at the Jan. 20 meeting.
