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January 2017

Next Meeting

COMIO's next meeting will include an Issue-Specific Workshop on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM and a full Council Meeting on Thursday, February 2, from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM. Both meetings will be held at the following location:
Board of Parole Hearing Executive Board Room
1515 K Street, 5th Floor, Suite 550
Sacramento, CA 95814
The Issue-Specific Workshop will be focused on assessing the impact of changes in Medicaid expansion on the criminal justice population. The full council meeting on the following day will be focused around the same topic as well as budget and administrative priorities of the state budget as they pertain to the work of COMIO. There will also be a panel of COMIO's key partners and their policy priorities for 2017 relating to diversion. 

Workshop Agenda for February 1, 2017
Meeting Agenda for February 2, 2017

2017 COMIO Meeting Schedule

Budget Analysis for Fiscal Year 2017-2018

Click here to read COMIO's Budget Snapshot - a memo that pulls relevant content from the Governor's proposed 2017-18 budget and summarizes it in areas of interest to COMIO members and partners. To access the full Budget summary, click here.

Announcements

Important Funding Opportunities

SOAR Technical Assistance Opportunity for Criminal Justice Programs
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) Technical Assistance Center is accepting applications from Criminal Justice (CJ) agencies and institutions that have not yet participated in the federally sponsored SOAR Technical Assistance Program. For more information, please click here. SSI/SSDI Outreach CJ agencies are invited to submit a brief, 3-5 page application in response to the Request for Applications (RFA) by February 10, 2017.

US Department of Justice
Bureau of Justice Assistance
BJA FY 2017 Second Chance Act Reentry Program for Adults with Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Disorders
Applications Due: March 14, 2017
https://www.bja.gov/Funding/SCACOD.pdf

US Department of Justice
Bureau of Justice Assistance
BJA FY 2017 Smart Reentry: Focus on Evidence-Based Strategies for Successful Reentry from Incarceration to Community Synopsis 1
Applications Due: March 14, 2017
https://www.bja.gov/Funding/SmartReentry.pdf

US Department of Justice
Bureau of Justice Assistance
BJA FY 2017 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program
Applications Due: April 4, 2017
https://www.bja.gov/Funding/JMHCP17.pdf

Proposition 57 - Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016

Proposition 57, also known as the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016, passed in the election on November 8, 2016. Click here to read CDCR Secretary, Scott Kernan's update on the implementation of Prop 57.

Affordable Care Act Repeal

There has been much discussion about the potential effects of of changes to and/or the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The Congressional Budget Office provides an update on on the affect on health insurance coverage and premiums in their recent report, How Repealing Portions of the Affordable Care Act Would Affect Health Insurance Coverage and Premiums.

Stepping Up in 2017: Technical Assistance and New Report

Since May 2015, more than 300 counties have passed resolutions to join Stepping Up: A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in JailsBeginning in January 2017, the Stepping Up partners—the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, the National Association of Counties, and the Council of State Governments Justice Center—are launching a comprehensive approach to delivering technical assistance and facilitating communication among participating counties.

Click here to learn more about the ways counties can get involved, including signing up for thupcoming webinar “Stepping Up: Introduction to the ‘Six Questions County Leaders Need to Ask,’” taking place on February 2, 2017. The webinar provides an introduction to Reducing the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jail: Six Questions County Leaders Need to Ask, the recently released foundational report of the Stepping Up Initiative. The report serves as a blueprint for counties to develop and implement a systems-level, data-driven plan that can lead to measurable reductions in the number of people with mental illnesses in local jails.

County Program Highlight 
Sutter-Yuba County MHSA Innovations: Bi-County Probation Project

The primary purpose of the Bi-County Innovation Project is to compare the effectiveness of the pre-release therapeutic engagement with the post-release therapeutic engagement to determine which setting (pre-release or post-release) provides for higher instances of improved outcomes, related to recidivism and recovery. A secondary purpose of the project is to see if the bi-county structure is conducive to learning best practices for county partner collaboration.

Each Probation Department has been provided with a mental health therapist to manage a case load of individuals who have been referred for specialty mental health needs. The engagement setting and therapeutic intervention is unique to each therapist, while the outcome tools and the data collection remain identical. The project is time-limited and all lessons learned will be shared with the Mental Health Service Oversight and Accountability Commission and local stakeholders.

The Bi-County Innovation Project is concluding its first year, post implementation. The project has a three-year lifetime. The needs of the target population are being addressed through services provided by two therapists in different therapeutic settings, where there were once no individualized services available. Utilizing evidence-based practices and tools, Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health is collecting client data related to improving recovery and reducing recidivism. The project is in its early stages, but significant achievements include now providing a therapeutic service that was previously non-existent, building relationships, and collaborating with county partners for the benefit of the criminal justice population. The program relates to the COMIO mission because it is outcome-oriented and strives to provide more positive growth through innovative services and collaboration.
The Innovations program has afforded the opportunity to the criminal justice population to receive mental health therapy service when otherwise they would have remained out of reach. Individuals involved with the criminal justice population experience the stigma of being "criminals" and as a result, often do not seek services for fear of judgement or rejection; or are excluded from services due to financial limitations.
The success stories are a real testament to the positive impact this program has had on the community. "I would never have gotten therapy on my own but since you came to me I figured I could give it a try. I've learned a lot about myself and how to handle things in a healthier way."
"I started seeing this individual while she was in jail. She was transferred to a local substance abuse treatment program, which allowed us to continue meeting on a weekly basis. She successfully graduate from this program after six months. Within a week of graduation she had a job and a stable to live. She just recently celebrated one year of sobriety."
Kitrice Rosa MA
AB 109 Mental Health Therapist
Sutter County Probation and Sutter Behavioral Health

For more information on the Sutter-Yuba Behavioral Health Department, visit: https://www.co.sutter.ca.us/doc/government/depts/hs/mh/hs_behavioral_health.

To have your county program featured in COMIO News to Know, please send and email to COMIO@cdcr.ca.gov for an application.

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