Agenda Item Name:
Title
Approval of the Contract between the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners and Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. for the Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant (CJMHSAG) Program Year 1 Services
End
Presenter:
Stuart Wegener, (352) 548-3708
Description:
Agreement for Services between Alachua County and Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. for the 1st Program Year of the CJMHSAG Reinvestment Grant Program for 2020-2023.
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of the Agreement between Alachua County and Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, Inc.
End
Prior Board Motions:
1/22/2019: Approval of the BoCC to the authorization of Meridian to serve as the lead applicant agency for the forthcoming CJMHSAG Reinvestment Grant Program for 2020-2023
1/22/2019: Approval of the BoCC of the Request for Authority for the Chair to Sign Match Donation Forms and the Letter of Commitment for the CJMHSAG Reinvestment Grant Program Application to the Department of Children and Families for 2020-2023
Fiscal Consideration:
Fiscal Consideration
Approve: Funds were approved in the FY 2020 Adopted Budget at the level of $370,000. Account Code: 001.36.3655.563.34.00.
End
Background:
Since 2008, Alachua County has participated in the DCF CJMHSAG Reinvestment Grant Program. This initiative provides funds to County and nonprofit grantee agencies to develop programs to respond to the mental health and substance abuse needs of those involved in local criminal justice systems. The Program requires each grantee and its partners if applicable to provide local matching funds in equal amounts to DCF's share of funds.
The Alachua County initiative has leveraged a significant level of intensive services for diversion of this target group from incarceration and into community--based treatment and case management. Since its inception over twelve years ago, the partnership between the County and its Court Services Department, Meridian, the Alachua County Sheriff's Office/Department of the Jail, and the 8th Judicial Circuit has yielded solid program and client accomplishments, leading to significant cost savings.
The previous CJMHSAG Reinvestment Grant was received by Meridian Behavioral and it was recently concluded on March 31, 2020. The responsibility for managing the current Grant Program and receiving the funds was provided to Meridian in August, 2016 by the BoCC's approval of a request to allow Meridian to serve as the applicant agency for CJMHSAG. This action enabled Meridian to directly receive the funds from the State and to manage and operate Program services. DCF had expanded the pool of eligible applicant agencies to include nonprofit charitable organizations.
The local match identified in the CJMHSAG Grant 5 for the County's share of funds was $1.35 million. The match includes $1,110,000 in cash, which is considered as the Mental Illness Work Group (MIWg) funding, from the General Fund. The previous CJMHSAG Grant also included the same level of cash match. In addition, the match includes $240,000 in in-kind match from the County, the composition of which is for one current FTE staff position (Benefits Coordinator) and one .288% share FTE (Criminal Justice Liaison), both at Court Services.
The current CJMHSAG Grant is different from previous Grants in that this one uses a consortium approach which includes both Alachua and Bradford Counties. Matching funds are also committed by Bradford, in cash and in-kind support, and in-kind support is also provided by Meridian.
The results of the current Alachua-based CJMHSAG Grant Program remain highly positive. At the end of March 2020, a total of 165 clients were actively participating in the Program. 7 of the participants are in the jail receiving competency restoration or with pending charges, 97 of the participants were in the community, and finally, 61 participants are in the State Hospital.
Of the clients enrolling in the Forensic Program during 2020, 132 were discharged with 62% (82 of 132) successfully completing the program. Taken as a whole, this data from the Forensic Diversion Team corresponds highly with previous experiences under Grant 3 and 4, and it appears that the Team is functioning extremely well as the Program heads into its first year of the newest Grant (5).