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(Port Orchard, WA) The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners passed a
resolution May 9 approving funding recommendations totaling $5.5 million from
the Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Therapeutic Court Citizens Advisory
Committee.
“The committee members are very dedicated to the work we do
and take pride in our role of helping to achieve the vision, goals and
objectives put forth by the County Commissioners through the Behavioral Health
Strategic Plan,” commented Lois Hoell, chair of the citizens
committee.
Commissioner Ed Wolfe commended the volunteers serving on the
Citizens Advisory Committee. “On behalf of the Board of Commissioners, we want
to thank them for the many hours they spent reviewing proposals, and providing
us with valuable, substantive input and recommendations on funding these vital
programs that will improve our community and positively impact so many
citizens.”
Funds generated from the 1/10th of 1 percent sales and use
tax that Commissioners approved Sept. 23, 2013, are designated for mental
health, chemical dependency and therapeutic court services in Kitsap County.
Previously allocated funds were utilized for a variety of projects to prevent
and reduce the impacts of disabling chemical dependency and mental illness.
“Most of us know someone who struggles with mental illness or drug and
alcohol dependency,” said Commissioner Charlotte Garrido. “Too often, we see the
gaps in our community’s behavioral health services as local jails, courts, and
hospitals serve as the de facto care systems. This funding develops a continuum
of care similar to the example from public health.”
Funded projects
include crisis intervention training for 250 police officers, behavioral health
training for 416 school staff, substance abuse disorder screening for 13,929
individuals, substance abuse treatment and re-entry services for 161 individuals
released from Kitsap County Jail and the expansion of the Kitsap County Adult
Felony Drug Court, adding 50 individuals to the successful program.
The
11-member Citizen’s Advisory Committee, appointed by the Commissioners to advise
them on funding allocations, voted unanimously April 19 to recommend funding for
15 of the 21 proposals submitted, awards totaling nearly $5.5 million of the
$5.7 million estimated to be available for an 18-month period.
"As we
enter our third round of funding, the program is truly beginning to mature. The
advisory committee is on the right track talking about how to measure program
outcomes, what are the collective impacts, and how do we make targeted
investments in a continuum that serves some of our most vulnerable citizens,"
said Rob Gelder, County Commissioner. "Through this program, we are all
contributing to the well-being of our community and our neighbors."
Eight
of the programs approved for funding were continuation proposals from the
2015-2016 funding cycle. These include funds of $61,860 to provide training for
commissioned law enforcement officers in crisis intervention and triage, and
$332,497 to provide behavioral health outreach services with increased staffing
to serve adults with a mental illness or co-occurring mental health and
substance abuse disorders charged with minor, non-violent crimes in Kitsap
County.
Seven of the programs approved for funding are new, including a
Crisis Response and Coordinated Care Demonstration project, managed through the
Kitsap Public Health District to support a multi-disciplinary, mobile outreach
team to intervene with adults who are experiencing mental illness, chemical
dependency, physical illnesses, and homelessness. Support in the amount of
$1,039,535 was designated to support operation of a 16-bed crisis triage
facility to provide short-term mental health crisis services and a 16-bed
withdrawal management facility to provide withdrawal and detoxification
services.
A complete list of projects funded for 2016-2017 is available
at www.kitsapgov.com/hs/mhsa/RFP.htm, including information about the Mental
Health, Chemical Dependency and Therapeutic Court Citizens Advisory Committee.
More information is also available from Gay Neal of Kitsap County Human Services
at 360.337.4827 or gneal@co.kitsap.wa.us.
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