Welcome to Skagit County

May 20th, 2005

STEPPING UP FOR CHANGE: SKAGIT COUNTY TACKLES MENTAL ILLNESS IN COMMUNITY AND JAIL

Skagit County, Washington, May 20, 2005 -- Skagit County was one of nine local jurisdictions from across the country selected to participate in a 2 day cross-training for the development of integrated strategies to effectively identify and respond to the needs of justice-involved adults with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders.

The NIMH Adult Cross-Training was designed to help communities identify existing community resources, service gaps, and opportunities for improved service coordination and communication between mental health, substance abuse and criminal justice professionals. According to Dr. Henry J. Steadman, Principal Investigator, “The NIMH Adult Cross-Training Project is a strategic planning session intended to foster systemic change and provide each participating community with the tools necessary to move forward to enhance services for those individuals with co-occurring disorders in contact with the justice system.”

Representatives from the mental health, substance abuse, and criminal justice system in Skagit County traveled to Mount Vernon to demonstrate their commitment to this community change. Key agency administrators, staff, and consumer advocates participated in Action Steps to Community Change: A Cross-Training for Criminal Justice/Mental Health/Substance Abuse Systems which focuses strategic planning efforts on cross-system collaboration and the reduction of system and service barriers with an integrated, local action plan.

In preparation for the training, a County Planning Committee met with the trainers on March 16,2005 to discuss current practices and potential barriers to systems change. The Skagit AXT Planning Committee comprises Charles Wend, Lt. Chris Cammock, Gary Shand, Dr. Chris Tobey, Joseph Strong, Glen Hoff, Tom Seguine, Dr. David Asia, Rebecca Clark, Maile Acoba, Commissioner Dave Needy and the Hon. Mark Pouley. During the training, participants developed a map detailing the flow of criminal justice contact from arrest to incarceration, referral and access to services, and points for diversion from the justice system across Skagit County. Strategies to improve current practice in screening and assessment, integrated treatment and re-entry transition planning were discussed and strategies for systems change implemented by other US communities were considered.

Nationally, individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders are an increasing presence within the criminal justice system. Studies have shown that 6.4% of men and 12.2% of women entering U.S. jails have a severe and persistent mental illness, compared to less than 2% of the general population. Of these individuals, 72% have a co-occurring substance use disorder. This problem is especially pronounced in rural communities, where the availability, accessibility, and acceptability of behavioral health services prevent many from receiving the help that they need. With more than 600,000 individuals returning to communities each year from US prisons and jails, effective linkage and access to community services for people with a mental illness or co-occurring disorder is critical to reduce an often repetitious cycle of justice involvement.

The cross-training is part of a three-year grant awarded to Policy Research Associates, Inc., located in Delmar, NY, through a National Institute of Mental Health Small Business Innovative Research Grant.
For more information on Skagit County’s Action Plan contact: Maile Acoba at Skagit County Human Services – (360) 336-9395.
Information on the cross-training is available at www.pra-axt.com