Community Corner

Community Corner

Norman Hoffmann, PhD
Western Carolina University
Evince Diagnostics, LLC

As part of our work with rural jails, we have produced reports for sheriffs in the counties in which we collect data. These reports have been widely shared by the sheriffs to educate community leaders and elected officials about the behavioral health needs among those arrested in their communities. In one county, the sheriff used data from his facility to help support a $3 million initiative to establish a clinic in his county. Other sheriffs have used their reports to support budgetary justifications, such as additional community policing deputies for high drug use areas in the county, and community collaborative arrangements. In one county, the sheriff enlisted the faith community to establish a homeless shelter near the detention center to house people leaving the jail and raise funds to hire a counselor to provide services for residents. In another county, a counselor from a local treatment provider did the CAAPE-5 interviews via the online version of the CAAPE-5 on a HIPAA compliant website. She was able to document that a third of the inmates with a serious substance use disorder actually entered either IOP or residential treatment covered by a regional grant.