Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
March 24, 2006, Vol. 06-35

Making Jail Diversion Work in Rural Communities **Easy Access Net/Tele Conference** Monday, March 27, 2006 2:00-3:30 pm Eastern Time

Join the GAINS TAPA Center's 7th free Easy Access Net/Tele-Conference on Monday, March 27 from 2:00-3:30 PM (Eastern Time) for an overview of jail diversion programs serving people with mental illness in rural communities. Participants will listen to the live presentation through a toll-free telephone line while viewing the corresponding PowerPoint slides via the internet.

Mental illness is prevalent in rural communities at rates similar to urban areas, yet treatment services are often scarce and difficult to access. Issues such as a lack of trained mental health professionals, distance and transportation difficulties, and the stigma that results from the culture of self-reliance often found in rural communities limit a person's ability to receive the treatment they need. For those people with mental illness who come into contact with the criminal justice system, treatment options within the jail may be similarly limited. Further complicating matters is the fact that most of the existing models of jail diversion were developed in urban settings where treatment and other community supports are more accessible.

Presenters for this Net/Teleconference will be Colleen Chamberlain, LSW, M. Ed, Director of Planning and Evaluation for the Brown County (OH) Board of Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services, Amy Forsyth-Stephens, MSW, Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of the New River Valley (VA), and Victoria Huber Cochran, JD, Chair, Virginia State Mental Health Board. They will present an overview of the challenges and opportunities encountered by rural communities that seek to develop appropriate responses to people with mental illness in contact with the criminal justice system, as well as the innovative solutions that have been implemented in both Brown Co, OH and the New River Valley, VA. Successful models of both pre- and post-booking jail diversion will be presented, along with discussion of potential modifications to traditional diversion models that may be needed to accommodate the special needs and available resources of rural communities.

Please follow the instructions on the following page to reserve your spot today!

To register in advance of the event
To guarantee your place for this event, please register in advance using our online registration form. To do this:
1. Go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=730441819663
2. Provide your information as directed and then click done.

To access the audio portion on the day of the event
1. Call this USA toll-free number: (888) 262-0101
2. If requested, provide the following passcode: 38215

To access the PowerPoint presentation on the day of the event
1. Go to: http://www.quickconnected.com/web/index.html
2. Enter the conference entry code Entry Code: 38215

For more information, please contact Brian Case at 866-518-TAPA (8272) or bcase@prainc.com.
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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.