TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — The Mental Health Diversion Pilot Program in Travis County is a step closer to launching after Tuesday’s Commissioners meeting.
“We’re in the middle of an overdose crisis, and we have been for the last two years,” said Travis County Judge, Andy Brown.
Texas’s drug overdose deaths have increased by more than 75% in the past five years, according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
In Austin, it’s been two weeks since one of the deadliest opioid surges recorded in city history; with nearly 80 overdoses and nine deaths.
“We have had people who overdose at home, we’ve had them out in public,” said Austin Travis County EMS Captain, Christa Steadman, “it’s affecting the entire community.”
A year ago, county officials were in the beginning phases of laying out a diversion program that would provide resources to people experiencing a mental health or drug emergency.
Now, it’s come to fruition.
ALSO| Texas Senate Subcommittee reviews Higher Ed policies amid tension over DEI and free speech
Judge Brown said, “It will provide 24-hour access to police and EMS and others that want to bring people in who are having a mental health issue or crisis, they’ll get treatment.”
He added the jail system is the largest mental health facility for those needing treatment.
Because of that, he said the diversion program would lighten the load on the criminal justice system, and provide people with the help they need.
“There’s a lot of people who seek help for mental health issues and end up using illegal substances and those two things go hand in hand with each other,” added Brown.
During Tuesday’s Commissioners meeting, county officials said over $6 million has been invested in the pilot program.
“It has taken a little bit to negotiate with Integral Care and other parties to make sure that we’re all sharing data in the way that we want because we want this to be a model for how we do the eventual mental health diversion,” said Brown.
As of now, officials said the pilot program will accept 25 people until more funding comes in to expand the program.
Brown added, “I would imagine that a lot of the people that will go through this are people who are at risk of overdosing in other scenarios.”
Integral Care is working with the county to get the program staffed within the next few weeks to have the pilot fully launched before the summer.