Committee backs forwarding $10,000 opioid-settlement seed to expand Crossroads Counseling outreach

County staff and Angie, owner of Crossroads Counseling Services, described a pilot program that pairs clinicians with law-enforcement referrals for behavioral-health incidents and asked the committee to forward a county funding request to the full board.

Angie said the pilot began on Dec. 3 and that Crossroads and partner clinicians have received 33 referrals to date (26 from the Morris Police Department and seven from the county). "We've had 33 referrals to date," she said. She reported that three clients had been linked into Crossroads services and that the $10,000 grant award used to seed the pilot had spent $5,303 so far, leaving roughly $4,697.

Angie described the pilot as a low-barrier, post-incident outreach model: when a behavioral-health call comes in, the team makes follow-up contacts within 24 to 48 business hours to assess needs and connect people to resources. County members said the approach "meets the patient where they are" and praised the trial as a way to reduce reliance on jail, emergency rooms and emergency services.

The committee voted to forward a request for $10,000 from the county's opioid settlement fund to the full board to replicate and expand the pilot; the motion carried on a voice vote. County staff said the opioid settlement subcommittee expects several requests to come before the board as it begins spending funds.

Next steps: the funding request will be placed on the full board agenda; Crossroads and county staff plan to continue tracking referrals and outcomes for future grant applications and program evaluation.