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SAMHSA's GAINS Center Selects Six Communities for Sequential Intercept Mapping (SIM) Workshops Focusing on Early Diversion

In late 2015, SAMHSA's GAINS Center released a solicitation for applications for Sequential Intercept Mapping (SIM) workshops focusing on early diversion. The target communities were those interested in developing integrated strategies to better identify and respond to the needs of adults with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders in contact with the criminal justice system. SIM workshops are designed to allow local, multidisciplinary teams of people to facilitate cross-systems collaboration to identify and discuss ways in which barriers between the criminal justice, mental health, and substance use systems can be reduced; and to develop integrated local plans. This year's application process was highly competitive. The GAINS Center received 75 applications from communities throughout the United States. After an extensive review of all applications, the GAINS Center is pleased to announce that the following communities have been selected to receive SIM workshops:

Montgomery County, Alabama

Orange County, Florida

Forrest County, Mississippi

Pettis County, Missouri

Ulster County, New York

Brown County, Wisconsin

SAMHSA's GAINS Center would like to congratulate the selected communities, as well as thank all applicants for their submissions.

If your community was not selected or did not apply, and you wish to pursue having a SIM Workshop, please contact Lenore Laier at llaier@prainc.com to explore fee-for-service options available through Policy Research Associates, Inc., the operator of SAMHSA's GAINS Center.

SAMHSA's GAINS Center Selects Six Communities to Develop Trauma-Informed Training Capacity

In November 2015, SAMHSA's GAINS Center released a solicitation for applications for jurisdictions to develop trauma-informed training capacity. The target jurisdictions were those interested in developing a capacity to provide trauma-informed training via the GAINS Center's How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses training curriculum. The GAINS Center will conduct train-the-trainer events in the selected jurisdictions in 2016. The trainings will be attended by community-based criminal justice system professionals, including law enforcement, community corrections (probation, parole, and pre-trial services officers), court personnel, and other human service providers.

It was also a very competitive application process. The GAINS Center received 58 applications in response to the solicitation. The GAINS Center is pleased to announce that the following jurisdictions and groups have been selected to receive train-the-trainer events:

Arizona State University and Maricopa County, Arizona

Yolo County, California

Miami-Dade County, Florida

Michigan Department of Corrections (Statewide)

Stark County, Ohio

Washington Department of Corrections and King County, Washington

SAMHSA's GAINS Center would like to congratulate the selected jurisdictions, as well as thank all applicants for their submissions.

If your community was not selected or did not apply, and you wish to receive the trauma training, please contact Lenore Laier at llaier@prainc.com to explore fee-for-service options available through Policy Research Associates, Inc., the operator of SAMHSA's GAINS Center.

Developing Essential County Behavioral Health Services to Reduce the Prevalence of Persons with Mental Illness and Substance Use Conditions in County Jails

The National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD) has engaged Policy Research Associates (PRA), operator of SAMHSA's GAINS Center, in a collaborative effort. On November 30 and December 1, 2015, PRA conducted focus groups with 11 different rural and medium-sized counties from across the United States in an effort to identify the resources and challenges encountered by county behavioral health programs in their efforts to both serve and divert persons with behavioral health disorders who come into contact with the criminal justice system. The participants in these focus groups brought to light both the similarities and differences in resources and challenges their counties are facing. Whether it is a county just beginning to gather key stakeholders in their efforts to identify people who could be better served in local behavioral health systems rather than being involved in the criminal justice system, or a county with a well-established task force and subcommittees dedicated to this purpose, we heard about the many successes and needs that exist all across the country.

As a direct result of the valuable input received from these counties, NACBHDD wants to make you aware of the next steps that will be taken in this initiative. On Wednesday, February 10, 2016, NACBHDD will be hosting a webinar from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST that not only will highlight the key findings from these focus groups, but also will outline the plan for next steps related to offering technical assistance to counties such as your own. NACBHDD will be interested in hearing more from you about collaboration and continuum of care issues that either assist or hinder persons with behavioral health disorders from staying out of local criminal justice systems. Additionally, NACBHDD will highlight how use of the Sequential Intercept Model can aid counties in identifying their strengths, gaps, as well as priorities for moving local criminal justice/behavioral health partnerships forward in the coming year.

In addition to sharing what NACBHDD and PRA have learned from the rural and medium-sized counties during the focus groups, your input will be valuable in shaping how technical assistance efforts look moving forward.

To register for the webinar on February 10th from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. EST, please go to:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5310994477282315266

To view system requirements ahead of the webinar, please go to:
View System Requirements

Judges Corner: Judicial Perspectives on Treatment Courts

The Judges Corner is a new addition to the GAINS Center's eNewsletter that will explore judicial perspectives on a variety of topics related to treatment courts. Through video footage captured from interviews with judges, we will explore judges' thoughts on the judicial role in treatment courts, interacting with treatment court program participants, the development of trauma-informed policies and procedures, and the integration of peer support into treatment court programs.

In this month's video clip we will hear from Judge Maria Salas-Mendoza, District Court Judge for the 120th Judicial District Court in El Paso, TX. Judge Salas-Mendoza speaks about her experiences with treatment court, some ways in which the judicial role in treatment court may differ from traditional courts, some of the challenges judges face in treatment court, and guidance for judges considering a treatment court docket.

Deadline Approaching: Apply Now for the Behavioral Health and Justice Leadership Academy

With the support of the Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation, and in collaboration with the Council of State Governments Justice Center, Policy Research Associates Inc. is launching the Behavioral Health and Justice Leadership Academy initiative to promote the development of local leaders to address behavioral health and criminal justice issues in their communities. Through participation in the Leadership Academy initiative, local leaders from communities that have demonstrated a readiness for change will receive training and assistance as they carry out a strategic action plan. The goal is to improve public health and public safety outcomes for people with mental and substance use disorders in the justice system by supporting leaders to implement effective strategies in their cities and counties.

Twenty-five individuals will be selected to participate in the initiative, which will feature a two-day meeting in May 2016. Participants will work with a faculty of experts in the behavioral health and criminal justice fields to build a strategic plan for achieving their behavioral health/criminal justice goals. In addition, participants will have access to mentoring and virtual technical assistance for 12 months.

For more information or to apply for the Behavioral Health and Justice Leadership Academy, please download the solicitation for applications.

Applications are due by February 1, 2016.

San Francisco Leadership Propose New Behavioral Health Center

Evidence-Based Practices Provide Way Forward for San Francisco's Mental Health Crisis

On January 5, 2016, District Attorney George Gascón was joined by Supervisors David Campos, Malia Cohen and Jane Kim, in addition to Professor Craig Haney of University of California at Santa Cruz, and Michael Romano of Stanford University's Justice Advocacy Project, to propose a new Behavioral Health Center in San Francisco. The purpose of such facility is to address a fundamental problem and tragic irony: On the one hand, the nation's jails and prisons have become the default placement for the mentally ill in our society, with a Bureau of Justice Statistics study estimating that approximately two out of every three jail inmates nationwide suffers from a "mental health problem" (i.e., has received a clinical diagnosis or treatment by a mental health professional or experienced DSM symptoms of major depression, mania, or psychosis in the preceding year). Moreover, there are about 10 times the number of mentally ill persons in jails and prisons in the United States as in mental hospitals. On the other hand, however, jails and prisons are uniquely ill-suited to serve as therapeutic environments.

"It would be difficult to design an environment more counter-therapeutic than a modern American jail or prison," said District Attorney George Gascón. "If we want to address the crisis that is evident on street corners from the Haight to the Tenderloin, we must divert individuals with mental illness and substance abuse to treatment, rather than warehouse them behind concrete and bars."

"Incarcerating people with mental illness does not lead to better outcomes for anyone—not the public, not the person incarcerated, not their families," said Supervisor David Campos. "San Francisco has the opportunity to lead the way and invest in mental health services and residential treatment programs that will keep our communities safer and healthier. Today is an important first step towards achieving this goal."

"Historical adversity, exclusion from education health, educational and social resources leads to socioeconomic disparities and subsequently poor mental health outcomes," said Supervisor Malia Cohen. "It is no coincidence that there is a long standing systemic disparity that exists within our criminal justice system — we must explore the feasibility of a behavioral health center in San Francisco."

"With 2 million people with mental illness booked into jails each year, the biggest mental health providers in the country are LA County Jail, Cook County Jail in Chicago, and Rikers Island in New York," said Supervisor Jane Kim. "Last month, San Francisco took the principled, just, and compassionate stand that we will not join what we should all consider a list of shame. Jail is simply not going to be the San Francisco answer to mental illness. I'm proud to be standing with DA Gascon, who shares the same belief: that we can be the first City to make the commitment to real public safety which can only come when we acknowledge that we have been relying on our criminal justice system to act as our mental health system."

The difference between a "mental health jail" and a "behavioral health center" is more than mere semantics; rather than a jail facility where mental health treatment is also provided, a behavioral health center is primarily a treatment facility that also properly ensures the safety of the staff and inmate/patients who are housed there. This core difference can and should extend to the way the facility is constructed, the atmosphere created inside, and the primary mission and mindset of the staff who run it.

In the weeks ahead, Professors Haney and Romano, who are experts in the field of mental health, will be joined by experts in the field of criminal justice, to draft a white paper to explore the suitability of current options and gaps in service that a behavioral health center can fill — where are folks going now; are they diverted or transferred from custody for in-patient and/or outpatient community treatment; and how adequate and accessible are those options; or should they be expanded? It will also address some questions related to needs analysis, size, and scope of services provided. The white paper will serve as the contribution of the District Attorney's Office to the working group that has been created by the Board of Supervisors. With the creation of a Behavioral Health Center, San Francisco has an opportunity to intelligently and innovatively address this critical problem by effectively serving the needs of its mentally ill citizens and simultaneously enhancing public safety for the larger community.

SAMHSA's GAINS Center applauds these efforts, and will provide additional information as it becomes available on this ambitious endeavor.

SAMHSA Accepting Applications for FY 2016 Targeted Capacity Expansion Peer-to-Peer (TCE-PTP) Grants

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2016 Targeted Capacity Expansion-Peer-to-Peer (Short Title: TCE-PTP) grants. The purpose of this program is to expand and enhance service capacity through the provision of peer recovery support services for those individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) and their family members. It is the expectation that those with lived experience will play an integral role in the design, development, and implementation of this program. A primary program objective is to help achieve and maintain recovery and improve the overall quality of life for those being served. This is assessed through increased abstinence from substance use, employment, housing stability, social connectedness, decreased criminal/juvenile justice involvement, and increased indicators of successful recovery and enrollment in education, vocational training, and/or employment.

Eligible applicants are domestic public and private nonprofit entities, tribal and urban Indian organizations, and/or community- and faith-based organizations that are organizations comprised of, led, and governed by people in recovery from substance use disorders. These organizations directly provide recovery support services and are eligible as Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs). RCOs are independent organizations with nonprofit status. The RCO must have a governing board comprised of at least 50 percent of people in recovery from substance use disorders (SUDs), and family members of people in recovery. Eligibility as a RCO must be assured through a signed Certificate of Eligibility. The Certificate of Eligibility certifies that the organization is led and governed by representatives of local SUD recovery communities, and that the organization has a demonstrated history and expertise in peer-led recovery support services. The Certificate of Eligibility must be submitted with the application or the application will be screened out and will not be reviewed.

Applications are due by February 15, 2016

Click here for more information about the program and how to apply

The GAINS Center's Website Has Moved to SAMHSA.gov

As a reminder, the GAINS Center's website has been moved, and is now being hosted along with the new SAMHSA.gov. The GAINS Center's website has also been redesigned, and will be updated and improved over time.

Please take a moment to check out the GAINS Center's new website. The URL or web address has changed, but fortunately anyone attempting to navigate to the old web address will be automatically redirected to the new web address (http://www.samhsa.gov/gains-center).

Many of the resources that were previously available through the GAINS Center's old website are in the process of being added to the new website, and may not be available at this time. If you are looking for something in particular and are unable to locate it, please contact Matthew Robbins at mrobbins@prainc.com.

Survey of Mental Health Screening Practices in Jails

In 2005, Policy Research Associates (PRA) released the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS). The BJMHS is a fast, easy, and free screening tool for use by jails to screen incoming inmates for mental health issues. The screen was developed and validated with funding from the National Institute of Justice and is available to the public free of charge.

With the assistance of the American Jail Association and many state organizations, we are now in the process of exploring how the BJMHS is being used by jails across the United States. We would greatly appreciate your assistance in tracking its use by completing a very brief survey about its use in your facility. The survey can be accessed here and should take no more than 4-5 minutes to complete.

As a "thank you" for your assistance, once you have completed the survey you will have the opportunity to be entered into a drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card. The winner will be selected at random and notified once the survey is closed.

For more information on the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen, please visit the GAINS Center's website (operated by PRA). If you have questions about the survey, please contact Matt Robbins at mrobbins@prainc.com or 518-439-7415 x5234.

Thank you for your help!