South Coast Times

Douglas County Commissioners Tim Freeman, Chris Boice and Tom Kress are delighted to add a new story to their series highlighting the wide-array of services provided by departments within Douglas County government.   Douglas County has 26 separate departments, with an additional 19 divisions associated with those departments.  For part six of “What Can County Government Do for You?”, the Commissioners would like to highlight the amazing services provided by our Local Public Safety Coordinating Council, also known as LPSCC.

 The Local Public Safety Coordinating Council currently operates under the direction of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, and is a program within the Douglas County Juvenile Services Department. Commissioner Chris Boice is the liaison Commissioner and serves as the Council Chair for the LPSCC program.  The program is currently administered by our Program Coordinator, Melissa McRobbie-Toll.  Melissa has been the LPSCC Coordinator since 2017.  The program coordinator is responsible for: researching, analyzing and providing resource development assistance; maintaining effective and positive working relationships with program service providers, community organizations and other agency partners; organizing and participating in all partner meetings; strengthening collaboration with key stakeholders; gathering and preparing relevant data and developing strategic work plans, meeting materials, policies and procedures pertinent to the planning and implementation of LPSCC goals, including locating funding opportunities and grant writing.

 “Because of our amazing community, government partnership programs like this are successful. As Commissioners, we take pride in our community and our responsibility to protect and enhance the health, welfare and safety of our residents in the most efficient and cost-effective way,” stated Commissioner Chris Boice, liaison for the Douglas County LPSCC Program.  

 It’s an all too familiar scenario: Someone gets arrested for the umpteenth time for a drug crime, property crime, or disturbance. In many cases, the crimes are driven by addiction, or perhaps mental illness - yet the person continues to cycle through the system - arrest, jail, court, re-entry – without getting the help they need. It’s a costly cycle for the perpetrators, crime victims and taxpayers. Some of these individuals don’t want help or are not ready to make a change. But others would choose a different path, if given the right kind of opportunity and support.   For years, Douglas County’s LPSCC program, led by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners has worked in cooperation with community partners like Adapt, Douglas County Community Corrections and the City of Roseburg.  They have quietly worked behind-the-scenes to identify opportunities that interrupt the criminal cycle, address reintegration and fill in the gaps.  Through these partnerships, Douglas County’s LPSCC Program has made strides at the intersection of behavioral health & criminal justice.   Their collaborative efforts have included:

 Stepping Up - In early 2018, the Douglas County Commissioners signed a "Stepping Up" Resolution, making an official commitment to reducing the number of people with mental illness in the Jail. Since deinstitutionalization several decades ago, jails have turned into de facto housing for many chronically mentally ill people. Their jail stays tend to be longer than other inmates', and their risk of recidivism is higher. The “Stepping Up” initiative was created to address this problem.

• SIM mapping - In October 2018, LPSCC and partners held a SIM (Sequential Intercept Model) mapping to create a flow chart of how individuals with behavioral health issues interact with the criminal justice system. This helped identify gaps and priorities for action. 
• Connecting Point - Also in 2018, the LPSCC Behavioral Health Subcommittee and partners launched Connecting Point, a “one-stop shop” weekly resource fair that happens at several locations, including the Dream Center. People can go there to be connected to treatment, mental health services, cellphones, showers and other services/goods. The leadership team includes Adapt, HIV Alliance, Onward Roseburg and Aviva Health. 
• Mobile Crisis - In January 2019, Adapt and the City of Roseburg obtained a $750,000 federal grant to launch a Mobile Crisis program to help divert individuals experiencing a crisis away from Jail and the ED and into treatment when appropriate. Adapt recently expanded the Mobile Crisis program under a new grant and it is now operating 17 hours a day, 7 days a week. For more information, watch the Mobile Crisis video. 
• IMPACTS Grant - In 2020, LPSCC and partners obtained a $1.4 million state grant called IMPACTS (Improving People’s Access to Community-based Treatment, Supports and Services). The bulk of this funding went to Adapt for the creation of a care team that assists high utilizers of the Jail and ED, connecting them to services and resources. The IMPACTS grant also supports the Sobering Center, Detox expansion, Crisis Resolution Rooms and the purchase/renovation of a motel to serve as transitional housing. Partners in the IMPACTS program include Umpqua Health Alliance, the Chadwick Clubhouse and the Cow Creek Tribe. The grant was recently expanded and renewed for another two years. 
• Sobering Center - In August 2021, Adapt opened the Sobering Center, where intoxicated individuals can be taken to sober up and be connected to treatment and services. Funding partners for the Sobering Center included Douglas County, Umpqua Health Alliance and the Cities of Roseburg, Myrtle Creek, Sutherlin and Winston. 
• Drug Court/Mental Health Court - Douglas County Circuit Court includes a Drug Court and Mental Health Court, which pair accountability with treatment and support, reducing recidivism and helping people with mental health issues or addiction rebuild their lives. 
• RSAT – Douglas County has a drug treatment program in the Jail called RSAT (Residential Substance Abuse Treatment), mostly for repeat property and drug offenders whose crimes are driven by addiction. Graduates of this 120-day program are required to enroll in Drug Court. For details watch the RSAT video. 

 The LPSCC program is a collective partnership that meets bimonthly to discuss criminal justice policies and programs. Since 1995, every county in Oregon has been required to have a LPSCC program. Commissioner Chris Boice, the LPSCC Council Chair, revitalized Douglas County’s LPSCC program in 2015.  Douglas County’s LPSCC program includes representation from the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, Douglas County Community Corrections (Director Joe Garcia is Vice Chair of LPSCC), Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, Umpqua Valley Public Defenders Office, Douglas County Circuit Court, City of Roseburg, City of Myrtle Creek, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Douglas CARES, Peace at Home, Oregon State Police, Oregon Youth Authority, Douglas County Juvenile Services Department, ADAPT Integrated Health Care, CHI Mercy Medical Center, Douglas Public Health Network, Umpqua Health Alliance and a citizen liaison. In addition to the main LPSCC committee, there are two subcommittees, a Behavioral Health and Housing Subcommittee and a Justice Reinvestment Subcommittee. 

 Through the success of the collaborative efforts led by the Douglas County Commissioners and our community partners, the LPSCC Program has successfully filled in many of the gaps identified during the 2018 SIM mapping. Each time a gap is filled, someone is more likely to get treatment, get a second chance, be a productive member of society and stop committing crimes.   Having key partners at the table has been the fundamental factor in Douglas County’s progress at the intersection of criminal justice and behavioral health. Relationships truly are at the core of our success.  

Original source can be found here.