County Of Dane : DANE COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN NEEDS AND PUBLIC PROTECTION AND JUDICIARY COMMITTEES TO HEAR PRESENTATIONS ON TRIAGE RESTO ...

Press release from the County of Dane:

August 05, 2021

(608) 616-0698

Dane County Health and Human Needs Committee and Public Protection and Judiciary Committee will be holding a joint committee meeting tonight at 5:30pm. The meeting will be virtual, members of the public wishing to attend or speak can find the registration link on the agenda.

At the meeting, members of both committees will hear from Recovery Innovations on a Triage and Restoration Center, and also from University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute on a Mental Health Court Feasibility Study.

Recovery Innovations contracted with Dane County to assess and develop a plan to establish Dane County’s Mental Health Triage and Restoration Center. Recovery Innovations has experience in facility-based crisis services, mobile crisis services, call center innovations, temporary and permanent supportive housing, and peer support to name a few.

A triage and restoration center provides an alternative to the justice system for the community to use as a response to individuals in a behavioral health-related crisis. It is generally grounded in the concept of "no wrong door" and individuals can access services by walking in, a referral from a community partner, or be brought by law enforcement.

"I look forward to hearing from RI on what the next steps are for Dane County’s Mental Health Triage and Restoration Center. It’s exciting to see this critical component of how we respond to mental health crises in Dane County move forward," said County Board Supervisor Elizabeth Doyle (District 1), who also chairs the Health and Human Needs Committee.

The committees will also hear a report from University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute on a Mental Health Court Feasibility Study. A Mental Health Court is intended to better link those who find their way into the criminal justice system with an underlying mental health or behavioral health condition with an alternative process that is focused on treatment and rehabilitation.

"I’m eager to hear this study as it relates to alternatives for members of our community with mental health or behavioral health and how they interact with the criminal justice system," said County Board Supervisor Maureen McCarville (District 22), who is also Chair of the Public Protection and Judiciary Committee.

This press release was produced by the County of Dane. The views expressed here are the author’s own.