Delay In Establishing A New Mobile Crisis Team Due To Resource Shortage

Cook County Board: Health & Hospital Committee Meeting
October 18, 2022

The following reports were received and filed:  

• Alternative Health Intervention & Response: 
  • This report is the result of Commissioner Degnen’s resolution that last year focused on establishing for suburban Cook County  a mobile crisis team to respond to mental health crisis with trained mental health specialist. 
  • Commissioner Degnen at the meeting noted that establishment of the team for this year will need to be delayed sometime in 2023. The task force activity working on this project are expanding usage of the 988-emergency number and facing issues with the workforce and hospital capacity for care.   
• Covid 19/ Contract Tracing Update: 
  • CCDPH expecting a surge of COVID 19 in Nov. Concern about low rates of vaccinations and will be working over next months to increase levels of vaccination.
• Cook County Health System Strategic Plan 
  • Review of Strategic plan generated questions regarding the changing of the Health System’s mission statement.  What was emphasized is that the team was committed to a shorter mission statement maintaining the wording "regardless of the ability to pay" and adding the word "access".  
• Cook County Health: Mental Health Services Quarterly Report
  • Reports from Health System’s Department of Behavioral Health & Psychiatry; Cermak Health Services; Juvenile Temporary Detention Center Health Services (JTDC); Cook Department of Public Health
  • A common theme with each of these agency reports is a marked increase in need for mental health services. Discussion focused on numbers of juveniles confined in their rooms which presenter while did not have data felt that few were being confined to their rooms. 
  • The Cook County Department of Public Health did report training of 145 suburban law enforcement over 3 months in usage of naloxone and have documented through this training were able to reverse 20 overdoses.
• Behavioral Services Quarterly Report: Office of Chief Judge
  • Instituted with ARPR monies a collaborative program focused on youth diversion from criminal justice system. 
  • Pilot program demonstrated of 135 youth with gun charges 79% completed the outlined treatment program with charges dropped. 
• Cook County State’s Attorney Office & Cook County Sheriff’s Office: Behavioral Health Services Report:
  • Both agencies reported on working to expand community mental health services. The State’s Attorney Office reported that there were significant lower number in the pool for diversion coupled with community agencies that they partner with facing backlog of referrals. 

Items to watch in the future:

• Capacity for the expansion of mental health services 

Observer:  Susan Avila