MENTAL HEALTH COURT GRANT

Seminole County Government will partner with Aspire Health Partners, the behavioral health provider, and the 18th Judicial Circuit Court to expand and enhance their Mental Health Court (MHC) Program. This will be a growth from their original JMHCP Grant (2020-MO-BX-0036) awarded in 2020. The Program will expand treatment and wraparound services for adult participants diagnosed with mental illness or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who are facing criminal charges for a misdemeanor or felony that is a nonviolent offense. The Program will enhance MHC operations and effectiveness by funding the hiring of a dedicated part-time Case Manager, who will coordinate and support the MHC team as they conduct eligibility screenings, admissions/terminations, case planning, treatment plan implementation and monitoring, court sessions, and participant tracking, while also coordinating wraparound services provided by community partners. The Case Manager will also conduct outreach to build public understanding of the benefits of MHC, with the objective of reaching underserved and marginalized communities. To analyze the effectiveness of these enhancements, the project evaluator will incorporate the tracking of additional services and community outreach into the data collection plan and conduct annual evaluations of the Program.

The MH Court Program will “Promote effective strategies to expand the use of mental health courts and related services.” A suburban area in Central Florida, Seminole County’s population is 470,093 (57.4% white, 23.3% Hispanic/Latino; 13.4% African American; 5.2% Asian; 3% two or more races; 9.4% living in poverty, www.census.gov/quickfacts). There is a critical need for grant funding, 68% of MH Court clients are uninsured and therefore have no resources to pay for mental health treatment or services. This proposal seeks $549,994 in Federal funds through the BJA Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program and will match with $187,913. The MH Court Program will screen 165 individuals over the 36-month grant period, leading to enrollment of 80 individuals from 10/1/2023-9/30/2026, resulting in reduced recidivism and increased public safety.