County Commissioner Vickie Raines accepted into National Association of Counties’ network to expand data sharing efforts across behavioral health and justice systems
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Contact: Dan Hammock, Communications Officer, Grays Harbor County Public Health, 360-500-4027, dan.hammock@graysharbor.us
County Commissioner Vickie Raines is joining a select group of local officials in the inaugural cohort of the National Association of Counties’ Familiar Faces Leadership Network for her commitment to improving life outcomes for high-needs residents with complex behavioral health conditions.
The Familiar Faces Initiative (FFI): Improving Outcomes through Coordinated Health and Justice Systems was launched in May of this year by the National Association of Counties to support and empower communities to share data between health and justice systems and coordinate care options for individuals with complex health and behavioral health conditions who frequently cycle through jails, homeless shelters, emergency departments and other crisis services.
Raines has a long history of work with criminal justice, behavioral health, and homeless housing partners as County Commissioner. She currently serves as chair of the Great Rivers Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization Board, the administrator of behavioral health crisis services for Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific, and Wahkiakum Counties.
“I am excited to learn from many experts across the country about how their criminal justice, behavioral health, and other community services are working together to identify and provide wrap-around care to those most in need,” said Raines. “We look forward to applying lessons learned to improve our work with local partners to better serve Grays Harbor.”
Grays Harbor County Public Health Healthy Places Manager Cassie Lentz will be providing staff support to Commissioner Raines. Lentz manages, among other things, Public Health’s homeless housing, behavioral health and health equity programs. She has been working to coordinate Grays Harbor’s local plans to address homelessness and affordable housing, behavioral health gaps analysis, and jail system of care programs.
“The Familiar Faces Initiative is a great opportunity to build off of the progress we have made in Grays Harbor through our Community Partner Coalition, Housing Stakeholder Coalition, and Jail System of Care,” said Lentz. “Data collection, sharing, and evaluation are critical to target interventions on a systemic level for the most vulnerable clients who typically cycle through a variety of programs without a positive outcome.”
As participants in the Familiar Faces Leadership Network, Lentz and Raines will engage with fellow elected officials from across the country who are building similar efforts in their jurisdictions. They will participate in peer site visits to communities with model data-sharing practices and receive technical assistance from FFI Advisory Board members.
Local leaders participating in this network represent jurisdictions ranging in size and geographic location from the City of Issaquah, which has a population of 38,000, to Contra Costa County, California, with a population of 1.2 million. To see a full list of local officials participating in the Leadership Network and find out more about the Familiar Faces Initiative, visit familiarfaces.naco.org.
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ABOUT THE FAMILIAR FACES INITIATIVE
Led by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and funded by Arnold Ventures, the Familiar Faces Initiative supports communities in building and share data and integrate care options between health and justice systems so they can intervene earlier, improve outcomes and reduce incarceration and hospitalization rates. Data-sharing allows communities to identify people who need help and connect them with the right services to address behavioral health needs and, ultimately, break the cycle of justice system involvement and hospital usage. For more information visit https://familiarfaces.naco.org/.