Senate Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #1785 Criminal Justice Behavioral Health Assessment & Holding Area
Requester:	Will Trower		Organization:		North Broward Hospital District
Project Title:	Criminal Justice Behavioral Health Assessment & Holding Area		Date Submitted:		01/31/2000 2:00:38 PM
District Member:	Mandy Dawson		Service Area:		County
Counties Affected:	Broward
Recipient:	North Broward Hospital District		Contact:		Charlotte Mather
	303 Southeast 17th Street		Contact Phone:		(954) 355-5180
	Fort Lauderdale 33316
Project Description:
The North Broward Hospital District is developing a newly designed Behavioral Health assessment and holding area within the first floor West Wing of Broward General Medical Center. This will allow behavioral health and criminal justice behavioral health patients to be safely escorted into a psychiatric assessment area within the hospital where they will be screened and evaluated (and processed for admission as appropriate) by qualified behavioral health professionals. The development of this assessment center will allow the Broward General Medical Center to create a separate and private entrance to the hospital with direct accessibility to law enforcement and emergency medical transport workers. The floor plan allows for behavioral health and criminal justice patients who are in custody based on misdemeanor criminal behavior to be safely and effectively managed in a secured environment while the psychiatric screening and medical clearance takes place. The design of the Behavioral Health Assessment Center will allow for criminal justice mental health patients to be released from law enforcement handcuffs, have access to a shower, and change out of jail issued clothing in a private area that protects their right to confidentiality (as mandated within Chapter 394). Access to an elevator will be provided allowing for confidential transport patients requiring inpatient treatment in the newly built out crisis screening and stabilization unit which will be located on 4 North West Wing of Broward General Medical Center.
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
This request supports the Governor?s and Legislature?s initiatives to develop community alternatives for diverting from the criminal justice system to the civil Baker Act system, any person with mental illness who is arrested for a misdemeanor. HB 2003, which passed during the 1999 session, contains a provision to evaluate the effectiveness of the Broward County Mental Health Court. The ability for the North Broward Hospital District to provide appropriate treatment alternatives for these criminal justice patients with mental illness who are being diverted through this initiative supports the Governor?s and Legislature?s goals. In addition the project supports the statutory provisions within Florida?s mental law, CH. 394 (Part 1), F.S., the Baker Act, which encourages local communities to provide mental health treatment to persons who exhibit non-violent criminal behavior rather than to place them in the criminal justice system. It also addresses the issues of community safety and appropriate treatment alternatives for misdemeanants with mental illness who commit misdemeanors and who cycle in and out of the county jails because they do not have access to appropriate mental health treatment and support services. This also supports collaboration and maximizes the effectiveness of resources among the North Broward Hospital District, Department of Children and Families, Broward Sheriff?s office, and other agencies serving misdemeanants with mental illness
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
The project will support the collection of data specific to Mental Health Court clients and system outcomes and cost efficiencies. The initiative also supports the collection of outcome data to document improvement in the number or percentage of misdemeanants with mental illness who are taken directly to a Baker Act receiving facility as opposed to a county detention center and the measurement of the associated cost offsets.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$400,000
Total cost of the project:		$600,000

Request has been made to fund:			Construction
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?					Yes
				In-Kind Amount:	$200,000
Was this project previously funded by the State?					No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?					No
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?					Unknown
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?					Unknown
Is there a documented need for this project?					Yes
	Documentation:	Hospital and Corrections Needs Assessments
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?					Yes
	Hearing Body:	Broward County Legislative Delegation
	Meeting Date:	02/01/2000