Engaging and Leveraging Community-Based Organizations in Your Crisis System

Hosted by The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and the U.S Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance

Building a robust crisis system of care requires collaboration between multiple systems and stakeholders. Community-based organizations can enhance existing crisis systems by providing services, support, and lived experience to people in crisis. As the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is uniquely positioned to share the value of community-based organizations to support a coordinated community crisis response.

After a brief introduction from NAMI to kick off this webinar, affiliates from NAMI Ohio and NAMI St. Tammany will share their experiences partnering with justice and behavioral health systems to enhance community response to crisis at both the state and local levels. Additionally, the executive director of Grit & Grace, a recovery community organization, will share successes from Rockdale County, Georgia, where Grit & Grace’s partnership with justice and behavioral health agencies has led to innovative programming at multiple justice intercepts.

Speakers:

• Dustin Bartley, Senior Policy Analyst, Behavioral Health, CSG Justice Center
• Dr. Brooke Mount, Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance
• Jessica Tornabene, Senior Manager, Justice Diversion, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
• Nick Richard, Executive Director, NAMI St. Tammany
• Luke Russell, Executive Director, NAMI Ohio 
• Bill Carruthers, Executive Director, Grit & Grace Recovery Community Organization