Travis County is set to launch a program Monday intended to provide an alternative to jail or the emergency room for people experiencing mental illness.
The Crisis Care Diversion Pilot Program comes in response to a county-commissioned report that showed at least 40% of Travis County’s jail population has a mental health diagnosis, with many of those individuals repeatedly cycling through the justice system.
The county, the City of Austin, Central Health and Integral Care are collectively committing more than $23 million to the pilot phase of the program over the next three years.
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Travis County Judge Andy Brown said he hoped the program would reduce recidivism by helping individuals find a path to stability.
“Our county jail is still today the largest mental health facility in Travis County, and that still needs to change,” he said at an event Thursday celebrating the program’s launch. “By addressing the root cause of the mental health crisis, we’re helping individuals reclaim their lives and ultimately reducing our burden on the criminal justice system.”
Integral Care, the county’s mental health authority, is operating the program. It consists of two components — what CEO Jeff Richardson calls “a place to go and a place to stay."
The first component is a psychiatric emergency services facility on Airport Boulevard. The walk-in urgent care facility is open 24/7 and provides immediate support for people experiencing mental health crises.
From there, some patients may be referred to a residential facility located downtown at the Genevieve Tarlton Hearon Respite Recovery Building. Referrals may also come from first responders and law enforcement officers. Jailed individuals may also work with their legal teams to coordinate admission to the facility.
According to Marisa Malik, director of crisis services and justice initiatives for Integral Care, patients will be able to stay for up to 90 days, which sets the 25-bed facility apart from existing programs that limit stays to a week or less.
“Our goal in this project is really to provide a service where we had a gap in the community, and that was to provide stabilization for a longer length of time,” Malik said.
Within that timeframe, the goal is to provide services including therapeutic care and case management, and to have housing and outside mental health services ready for patients as needed once they leave.
Integral Care has overseen a soft opening of its psychiatric emergency services center to work out any kinks in the referral process between partnering organizations. Malik said several referrals are already being processed as the doors of the residential facility prepare to open.
