New joint program between PermiaCare and local law enforcement agencies
May 28—May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental Health Awareness Month was established in 1949 to by Mental Health America to highlight the importance of mental well-being, educate the public, reduce stigma and promote support for those affected by mental health conditions. In this regard, PermiaCare has announced a new collaborative program that will begin soon in the Permian Basin.
PermiaCare has teamed up with the Midland County Sheriff's Office and the Odessa Police Department to secure funding for a co-responder program for the communities of Midland and Odessa. The Texas Health and Human Services Mental Health Grant for Justice Involved Individuals with Behavioral Health Conditions (Senate Bill 292) will provide funding for a co-responder model of criminal justice diversion, pairing up law enforcement and behavioral health specialists to intervene and respond to behavioral health-related calls. These teams utilize the combined expertise of the law enforcement officer and the behavioral health specialists to de-escalate situations and help link individuals with behavioral health issues to appropriate services, a news release said.
On scene, the team works not only to de-escalate the situation, but also provide behavioral health screening and assessment, call disposition planning and referral or linkage to needed services. The planning at the end of the encounter depends on several unique factors, and outcomes can range from leaving the individual with necessary resources, transporting the individual to a hospital or walk-in clinic, and providing support and resources for family members and others on-scene. Teams also follow up with individuals after they leave the initial encounter.
The City of Midland and Ector County currently operate crisis response systems for individuals with behavioral health conditions that are typical for the State of Texas utilizing TCOLE trained mental health deputies, police officers, and PermiaCare crisis workers responding independently. Sometimes these responses are separate and other times they are collaborative, with everyone involved. While this is highly effective and remains a positive and necessary aspect of a good crisis response system, adding co-response can lighten the burden for all, improve efficiency, improve communication, and unify the mission, the release said.
Across Texas, co-responder teams are increasing rapidly because they reduce arrests, use of force, and receive positive feedback from law enforcement and mental health professionals. Co-response increases collaboration and communication between law enforcement and mental health professionals, which helps build better relationships between the agencies to increase referrals and identify gaps in coverage. The teams understand each other better and act with a unified mission and purpose. By providing individuals in crisis with access to mental health treatment and support, co-responder programs can help reduce the risk of harm to both the individual and the community which creates a safer and more resilient community overall. Improved mental health support decreases the cost of incarceration, decreases the use of costly emergency departments, and prevents unnecessary mental health related hospitalizations and transport.
How is the co-responder program funded? PermiaCare is a conduit for state and federal grant funding to support a wide array of social service needs, which includes programs to support individuals with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and substance use disorder. Utilizing our connection to State funding, PermiaCare applied for a Texas Health and Human Service Needs and Capacity Assessment entitled, "The Mental Health Grant for Justice Involved Individuals" or Senate Bill 292. This category of grant requires local support through cash or in-kind match at a rate of 50%.
The Odessa Police Department, Midland County Sheriff's Office, and PermiaCare receive a full program of staff for 33 cents on the dollar, with the State of Texas covering the other 67 cents. A review of the County Jail Diversion options in 2018 identified approximately 19% of the census of a Jail were estimated to have mental health conditions and charges that met the parameters for diversion. The 2022 PermiaCare Community Needs Assessment identified Crisis Intervention Services as the largest mental health services gap in the community.
The co-responder program will provide a great asset for the local community and assist with managing the flow of crisis to the new Permian Basin Behavioral Health Center (PBBHC) to ensure its capacity is focused on the most appropriate populations. PermiaCare anticipates the co-responder team will support approximately 450 justice involved individuals with mental health concerns per year. PermiaCare expects the program to begin operations June 1, 2025.
Despite progress in mental health initiatives, more than 30 million people in the U.S. still lack access to comprehensive, high-quality care. These statistics highlight the ongoing need for Mental Health Awareness Month and the importance of bringing attention to this disparity:
— 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.
— 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year.
— 1 in 6 U.S. youth have a mental health condition, but only half receive treatment.
— 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.
— In 2023, 20% of all high school students seriously considered suicide.
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