County works to improve mental health response

Local health leaders and Jefferson County officials gathered at the fairgrounds on Apr. 10 to craft a new county-wide mental health response plan that more quickly connects those in crisis to crucial mental health and substance abuse resources.

Attendees shared a wealth of experiences and insights in an effort to develop a “strategic intercept map,” a mental health report that maps out how individuals with substance use and mental disorders come into contact with and move through the criminal justice, emergency response, and healthcare systems.

The strategic intercept map aims to improve the response of law enforcement, education, and healthcare personnel by increasing cooperation and identifying system gaps and potential points of intervention, when mental health services can be offered.