Apply Now for Co-occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Crisis Focus Group

December 13, 2021

The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, in coordination with The National Police Foundation (NPF), invites you to apply to participate in a virtual focus group on developing innovative models for calls involving co-occurring substances use and mental health crises. The focus group will be held virtually on January 20, 2022, at 1-2:30 p.m. ET.

With support from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, this focus group is an opportunity for law enforcement agencies of all sizes to participate in a collaborative learning session. CSG Justice Center and NPF staff will select a limited number of participant agencies to share experiences and discuss key topics—-related to approaches to responding to crisis calls for service—with peers and subject matter experts related to approaches for responding to crisis calls for service.

Selected participants will have opportunities to preview new resources, provide input on needed resources and discuss challenges and innovations as they continue to develop, refine, and implement their response programs. The focus group will also be an opportunity to problem solve with subject matter experts and peer agencies on a variety of priority topics.

If you are interested in participating, submit the following application form no later than January 5, 2022. Selected agencies will be notified by January 12, 2022. For any questions, contact Dominique Burton at dburton@policefoundation.org.

Apply Now

Project Contact

Sarah Wurzburg

Deputy Division Director, Behavioral Health

Sarah Wurzburg oversees technical assistance focused on behavioral health, diversion, and reentry and serves as the lead for projects related to substance use, mental illnesses, and housing. She leads the work on the development of community responder programs, including a

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toolkit that supports sites in development of non-police responses to people in crisis. Previously, Sarah was a research analyst at the National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, Inc., where she was the team lead for Youth and Women’s Services and was the primary author of research reports on youth substance use disorder treatment, driving under the influence, and Medicaid. Sarah has also worked as a juvenile court advocate and in community substance use disorder prevention. She received her BA from DePauw University in English (writing) and her MA in social services administration with a focus on policy analysis from the University of Chicago.

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