MP3 - Merging the Cultures of Behavioral Health and Law Enforcement to Create a Collaborative Team to Address Substance Misuse

As overdose deaths continued to mount in Arizona, community-based agencies looked for alternative approaches to improve access to care, increase participation in treatment and improve community health. A collaboration developed between law enforcement, the courts and integrated behavioral health and substance use treatment providers to deflect people away from prosecution and into treatment. We will discuss how we established common language, a meaningful mission and a unified vision beginning at the leadership level involving program and process reviews, to working with the direct service staff and street level officers and the actions taken to improve implementation and participation.