Meeting Type: BCC Regular Meeting
Meeting Date: 6/4/2019
Item Status: Replacement
From: Sheriff Hoss Mack; Wayne Dyess, County Administrator
Submitted by: Anu Gary, Administration/Records Manager
______________________________________________________________________
ITEM TITLE
Title
*Stepping Up Initiative - Creation of a Baldwin County Stepping Up Initiative Committee and Appointment of Committee Members
Body
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Approve the creation of Baldwin County Stepping Up Initiative Committee which will review data and provide recommendations to the Baldwin County Sheriff and the Baldwin County Commission in an effort to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in Baldwin County Corrections Center and the municipal jails located in Baldwin County.
Further, appoint the following individuals as members of the Stepping Up Initiative Committee of Baldwin County, Alabama, each member’s term to commence on June 4, 2019, and conclude on September 30, 2020:
1) Commissioner Billie Jo Underwood, Baldwin County Commission; and
2) Commissioner James E. Ball, Baldwin County Commission (as alternate member for Commissioner Underwood); and
3) Representative of the Jennifer Claire Moore Foundation (as a citizen appointment); and
4) Representative of the Baldwin County Mental Health; and
5) Sheriff Huey Hoss Mack, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office; and
6) Major Steve Arthur, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office; and
7) Chief Al Tolbert, Bay Minette Police Department; and
8) Ellen Nadowski, Nurse, Baldwin County Corrections Center; and
9) Col. Steve Carey, United States Air Force, Retired (as a citizen appointment); and
10) Heather Brown, National Alliance of Mental Illness.
End
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Previous Commission action/date: May 7, 2019, BCC Regular Meeting
Background: REASON FOR REPLACEMENT ITEM: Sheriff Mack requested the appointment of Col. Steve Carey as the second citizen and appointment Heather Brown, National Alliance of Mental Illness. These two appointments have been added to the Staff Recommendation.
May 7, 2019, BCC Regular Meeting - The Commission adopted Resolution #2019-081 of the Baldwin County Commission which supports the Stepping Up Initiative: A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails.
May 28, 2019, BCC Work Session - Sheriff Huey Hoss Mack attended the May 28, 2019, BCC work session to discuss forming of the committee and requested the committee member appointments staff has brought forward for the Commission’s consideration at this time.
With the initial appointments listed in the above staff recommendation, the Commission should consider the following remaining appointments to the Baldwin County Stepping Up Initiative Committee at a later date to complete the appointments needed for this Committee:
1) Attorney (TBD); and
2) Mayor or Council Member of a municipality in Baldwin County (TBD).
Purpose of the Baldwin County Stepping Up Initiative Committee:
With the adoption of the Resolution #2019-081, the Commission and the sheriff's Office resolved to utilize the comprehensive resources available through Stepping up to:
•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; and
•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; and
•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; and
•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; and
•Implement research-based approaches that advance the plan; and
•Create a process to track progress using date and information systems, and to report on successes.
Background information on Stepping Up Initiative:
The Stepping Up Initiative is a National Initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails. An estimated two million people with serious mental illnesses - almost three-quarters of whom also have substance use disorders - are booked into local jails each year. Federal and state policy and funding barriers, along with limited opportunities for law enforcement training and arrest alternatives in many communities, have made county and other local jails the de facto mental health hospitals for people who cannot access appropriate community-based mental health treatment and services.
Recognizing the critical role officials play in supporting system change, the National Association of Counties (NACo), the American Psychiatric Association Foundation and The Council of State Governments Justice Center launched the Stepping Up Initiative in May 2015. Stepping up is a national movement to provide counties with the tools they need to develop cross-systems, data-driven strategies that can lead to measurable reductions in the number of people with mental illnesses and co-occurring disorders in jails. More than 425 counties have passed a resolution or proclamation to participate in the initiative.
The Leadership Baldwin County, Mental Health Project team, along with members of the Baldwin Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), brought to the County Commission, the initial request for the Baldwin County Commission adopt a Resolution in support of the Call to Action to support the Stepping Up Initiative.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Total cost of recommendation: N/A
Budget line item(s) to be used: N/A
If this is not a budgeted expenditure, does the recommendation create a need for funding? N/A
LEGAL IMPACT
Is legal review necessary for this staff recommendation and related documents?
N/A
Reviewed/approved by: N/A
Additional comments: N/A
ADVERTISING REQUIREMENTS
Is advertising required for this recommendation? N/A
If the proof of publication affidavit is not attached, list the reason: N/A
FOLLOW UP IMPLEMENTATION
For time-sensitive follow up, select deadline date for follow up: N/A
Individual(s) responsible for follow up: N/A
Action required (list contact persons/addresses if documents are to be mailed or emailed): Administration:
Email Sheriff Mack the Commission action.
Add the temporary Committee in the BCC Boards List and upload to BCAP/online.
Add new Committee to website under Boards Information and index.
Additional instructions/notes: N/A.