RES 268 Draft 01 2014-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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WHEREAS, Hawai`i County takes pride in its responsibility to protect and enhance the health, welfare, and safety of its residents in efficient and cost-effective ways; and WHEREAS, through the Stepping Up Initiative, the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, and the American Psychiatric Foundation, are encouraging public, private, and nonprofit partners to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails; and WHEREAS, Hawaii County may become a part of the Stepping Up Initiative by approving a resolution in support of the Call to Action, a six-point commitment that focuses on developing a plan that can be enacted in Hawai`i County and in counties across the nation; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that the Council signs on to the Call to Action in support of efforts to reduce the number of incarcerated persons with mental illnesses and urges the Director of the Department of Public Safety and the Director of the Department of Health("Directors") to do the same. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Directors are urged to commit to sharing lessons learned with other counties across the country to support a national initiative and encourage others to participate in Stepping Up. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Directors are urged to use the comprehensive resources available through Stepping Up and the information available on the website stepuptogether.org to: 1. Convene or draw on a diverse team of leaders and decision makers from multiple agencies committed to safely reducing the number of people with mental illnesses in jails. 2. Collect and review prevalence numbers and assess individuals' needs to better identify adults entering jails with mental illnesses and their recidivism risk, and use that baseline information to guide decision making at the system, program, and case levels. 3. Examine treatment and service capacity to determine which programs and services are available in the county for people with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use disorders, and identify state and local policy and funding barriers to minimizing contact with the justice system and providing treatment and support in the community. 4. Develop a plan with measurable outcomes that draws on the jail assessment and prevalence data and the examination of available treatment and service capacity, while considering identified barriers. 5. Implement research-based approaches that advance the plan. 6. Create a process to track progress using data and information systems, and to report on successes. 2