[College Hill Topeka] Fwd: Stepping Up Resolution

[Katrina Shaw]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Rachelle Vega-Retana <rvretana at topeka.org>
Date: Mon, May 3, 2021 at 10:21 AM
Subject: Stepping Up Resolution
To:


*“Shawnee County, Kansas*

*Joins Nationwide Call to Action *

*to Reduce the Number of People *

*with Mental Illnesses in Jails”*



*Shawnee County, Kansas - 04/23/2021 Shawnee County Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC) *announced its commitment to reduce the number of
people in jails who have mental illnesses by participating in Stepping
<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fstepuptogether.org%2fset-measure-achieve&c=E,1,n31XkfK4aQnfN65nTpbknC36lPCB7_hnUG67jhOWUDttGhaqYJoqYf8wrIE5kcbQCwVFVjtQW-Ho3JSjpZs_fIb7F-9XJBdHroQ6kCiAMZij&typo=1>
Up—a nationwide initiative to reduce the prevalence of mental illness in
local justice systems. The Stepping Up initiative was launched in May 2015
by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, the National
Association of Counties (NACo), and the American Psychiatric Association
Foundation (APA Foundation) to mobilize local, state, and national leaders
to achieve a measurable reduction in the number of people in jail who have
mental illnesses and ultimately connect more people to needed treatment.



To date, more than 520 counties have joined the initiative, including
Shawnee County, Kansas, in 43 states, representing 48 percent of the U.S.
population, have committed to the *Stepping Up* goal.



Bill D. Persinger, Jr., CEO at Valeo Behavioral Health Care, Inc., and
Shawnee County Corrections Director, Brian Cole, worked with community
partners last Fall to develop and organize *“The Intersection Coalition”*.
The Intersection Coalition is a broad-based, collaborative group working on
the large and active intersection where all facets of the criminal justice
system meet the public behavioral health public safety-net continuum of
care.



Shawnee County, Kansas has committed to reducing the number of people with
mental illnesses in their local justice systems, and will continue taking
significant steps toward reducing the number of people in its jail who have
mental illnesses, such as increasing liaison and care-coordination
activities between county corrections and behavioral healthcare,
strengthening behavioral health services in the county jail, enhancing
early-intervention/prevention services such as the CIT/Co-Responder
Program, improving access to post-release mental health and/or addictions
treatment, promoting housing/work/food-security in the community,
increasing the capacity and availability of specialty courts, enhancing
crisis care connections, and improving data-gathering and analysis to name
a few.



Shawnee County also joins other Kansas counties in its participation
in the *Kansas
Stepping Up Technical Assistance (TA) Center *(Audra Goldsmith,
Coordinator), sponsored by the State of Kansas Department for Aging and
Disability Services, where the County and the Intersection Coalition
receive tailored guidance to support Stepping Up efforts.



Shawnee County was the first Kansas County to pass a Stepping Up Resolution
since the formation of the Kansas Stepping Up TA Center.  Members of the
Shawnee County Commission include Kevin Cook (Chair), Aaron Mays, and Bill
Riphahn.



To see a list of all Stepping Up counties and find out more about the
initiative*,* visit stepuptogether.org
<https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fstepuptogether.org%2f&c=E,1,yYQ6e5nnfER5LGGJj2IAkCDAMOSf8Y59rKK7ffDoE8_4Ng4iuA2ah4x0zmhydbqdHo5lNBnEbd8WO3wlSYFkXU9g_AOH-OI9nDu_ESJIAIWqlzS-f6p_egPd72qgbQ,,&typo=1>.




*Amanda Monhollon*

*Public Information Officer*

Shawnee County Commission Office

200 SE 7 <https://www.google.com/maps/search/200+SE+7?entry=gmail&source=g>
th, Room B-11

Topeka, KS 66603

Office: 785.251.4471

Cell: 785.670.0473





Rachelle Vega-Retana, Grants Administrator

City of Topeka, Dept. of Planning & Development

Division of Housing Services

620 SE Madison St
<https://www.google.com/maps/search/620+SE+Madison+St?entry=gmail&source=g>.
1st Floor – Unit 8

Topeka, Ks. 66607

Phone: (785) 368-4490

Fax:      (785) 368-2546

Email:    rvretana at topeka.org



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