Support Outreach Recovery Team-Behavioral Health

Boone, County of is applying for a funding amount of $530,017. This proposal for the Boone County Support Outreach Recovery Team-Behavioral Health (SORT-BH) project will service Boone County, IL (population 53,544). The purpose of this project is to expand our current outreach recovery team to include two mental health agencies. These local mental health agencies will be sub contracted through this grant to each hire one specialized mental health case manager position to work with our already employed Community Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) on our outreach team. This need was identified in the current Sequential Intercept Map completed by the Boone County Behavioral Health Taskforce. Our taskforce is comprised of multiple community partners including mental health and substance abuse treatment, faith based, public health, and justice related components that have come together to create solutions to behavioral health issues in our county. Each agency will hire a mental health specialized position to work with our already staffed CLEO to follow up and provide intensive case management services to individuals coming through police dispatch as mental health related calls. Our sub contracted agencies will work with local law enforcement to train all first responders and provide a collaborated mental health response program to those suffering with a mental health disorder or issue. We expect the result of SORT-BH to decrease mental health related 911 calls and related crime, increase referrals to local mental health agencies, and improve engagement in behavioral health related programming. We also strongly believe this program will advance a Department of Justice priority of building trust between law enforcement and the community.