Minutes 04-22-2021 Virtual Work Session

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12 The Board received information about the findings and recommendations of the Crisis/Diversion Facility Subcommittee of the Orange County Behavioral Health Task Force. In addition, the Behavioral Health Task Force is seeking feedback from the Board and initial support to move forward with detailed design and implementation planning. The first recommended action step is funding for contracting with a project design consultant to conduct detailed planning including design of Facility space, staffing, and licensing. Implementation planning would also include governance, policies and procedures, and cost estimates, budget sources, and funding needs. BACKGROUND: In April 2019, over thirty community stakeholders from the criminal justice system, healthcare, behavioral health system, and housing came together to participate in the Orange County Sequential Intercept Mapping (SIM) Workshop facilitated by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The SIM process is designed to inform and address community- based responses to the involvement of individuals with behavioral health issues and intercepts with the criminal justice system. An intercept map and Final Report were created (SIM Final Report) and one of the identified community gaps that emerged from this process was the critical need for a Crisis/Diversion facility that would support diverting individuals in behavioral health crisis from the criminal justice system and the Emergency Departments at UNC Hospitals. The Behavioral Health Task Force (BHTF), co-chaired by Barbara-Ann Bybel, Director of Inpatient Psychiatry Services at UNC Hospitals, and Caitlin Fenhagen, CJRD Director, formed in 2019 to address the behavioral health intercept gaps identified in Orange County. The mission of the BHTF is to improve outcomes for individuals with behavioral health disorders through partnerships across justice, law enforcement, mental health, homelessness and substance use service systems. Later in 2019, the Crisis/Diversion Facility Subcommittee was formed and tasked with bringing forth recommendations and a plan for a dedicated Facility. This Facility will offer behavioral health crisis services and allow for law enforcement and hospital ED diversion. The Subcommittee, under Tony Marimpietri's leadership, has met diligently and frequently over the last two years to address this high priority need. This process has included a lengthy literature review of best-practices and elements for a crisis/diversion facility, studying existing state and national crisis/diversion facilities, seeking input from critical local stakeholders, looking at use case scenarios, examining available data and determining the appropriate scope and function for an Orange County Facility. This presentation will share the detailed findings and recommendations of the Subcommittee's work. An overview of these findings and recommendations has previously been shared with the Behavioral Health Task Force, the Justice Advisory Council and Orange County's law enforcement leaders. These presentations have been met with broad support and interest. It is the Behavioral Health Task Force's strong belief that the proposed Facility, and its evidence- based, holistic, trauma-informed policies and practices will lead to necessary enhancements in Orange County crisis system capabilities, will increase diversion and deflection from the criminal justice system and will improve healthy and safe outcomes for residents of Orange County. Caitlin Fenhagen, Criminal Justice Resource Director, introduced the item. Commissioner Dorosin rejoined the meeting at 9:40 p.m.