More than 60 leaders from Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogano Counties are working together to address common issues
information released
Leaders from Chelan, Douglas, Grant and Okanogan counties recently came together for a oneday workshop to create a comprehensive, community-wide strategic plan focused on addressing substance use and mental health conditions, particularly among people involved in the criminal justice system.
The May 13 workshop, facilitated by Connections Health Solutions and based on Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) Mapping, helps communities identify gaps in behavioral health and justice systems and develop opportunities for enhanced coordination and service delivery.
“This workshop is a follow-up to work we have been doing to foster regional collaboration and change,” Chelan County Commissioner Kevin Overbay said. “Our hope is to provide each participating community with the tools to improve services for adults with mental illness and substance use disorders who are in contact with the justice system, in an effort to standardize a continuum of care within our region.”
The more than 60 workshop participants included agency leaders, frontline staff, and people with lived experience from across the behavioral health and criminal justice sectors in the north central Washington region. The SIM Mapping process emphasizes cross-system collaboration and aims to reduce barriers by creating an integrated, localized action plan.
During the session, participants created a detailed map illustrating how people with behavioral health conditions encounter and navigate the criminal justice system—from initial contact and arrest through incarceration, diversion, and access to community-based services. The workshop also explored strategies used in other regions, which will be evaluated and included in a final report from Connections Health Solutions, expected later this summer.
When available, the report, which will detail the gaps identified and steps to be taken in the four counties, will be posted to the Chelan County website.
Substance use and mental health disorders, particularly opioid use disorder, continue to be overrepresented in justice involved populations nationwide. Approximately 80 percent of individuals arrested test positive for drugs, and 63 percent of jail inmates have a substance use disorder. With more than 650,000 people released from U.S. prisons and 7 million from jails each year, ensuring effective linkage to care is essential to breaking the cycle of justice involvement and reducing overdose deaths, according to information from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
For more information about the NCW regional initiative, contact Chelan County Commissioner Kevin Overbay at Kevin.Overbay@co.chelan.wa.us.
Nick Margiotta, a crisis system engineer and consultant with Connections Health Solutions, leads a Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) mapping workshop on May 13 at a community meeting room of Aging and Adult Care of Central Washington. More than 60 people, both online and in the room, participated in the mapping exercise
