Howard County Mental Health Program

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

As seen across the nation, the Howard County Police Department has experienced an increase in calls for service that contain a mental health undertone. The local hospital’s psychiatric unit is consistently at capacity and the emergency department takes the burden of overflow patients. Often people in a mental health crisis don’t know how to navigate available resources. In 2018, the Howard County Police Department established a new Mental Health Section which focuses on community outreach and providing community members services to manage mental health conditions. The Section is comprised of a supervisor, two officers and a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC). Throughout this nomination, you will read about what four people accomplished during the infancy of a new section that was uncharted territory for police work. A section that needed to simultaneously navigate the worlds of law enforcement and behavioral health all while remaining in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Members of the Section provide direct outreach to persons in crisis and ensure that follow-up services are offered to those who undergo an emergency petition, which is over 1,200 annually. In addition, the Section educates fellow officers and community partners on how to better serve those in crisis. Keywords: Community, Crisis Intervention, Mental Health, Teamwork, Community Policing