Improving Outcomes through Coordinated Health and Justice Systems

Better serving high-needs residents through integrated systems of care.

Familiar faces are individuals who frequently cycle through jails, homeless shelters, emergency departments and other crisis services.

Over time, these individuals become familiar faces to county and city workers in these sectors. Familiar faces often have complex health and behavioral health conditions that can result in overuse of these costly services without improving their situations, leaving communities paying for poor outcomes.

Communities have developed multiple interventions and services to address the needs of familiar faces.

However, care is fragmented across providers with limited coordination from one system to another, leading to inconsistent and ineffective care for high-need residents. Further complicating care and response, in many communities there are few alternatives to jails or emergency departments, leaving police and other first responders with limited options in a behavioral health crisis.

We seek better outcomes

and lower incarceration rates for vulnerable, high-need residents.

We empower communities

to share data between health and justice systems so they can identify familiar faces of multiple systems, connect them to services and break the cycle of justice system involvement and hospital usage.

Familiar Faces Initiative Community Message Board

Submit questions and discussion topics regarding planning, implementation or management of a cross-system data-sharing or alignment strategy to peers and experts in the field.

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Contact Nina Ward, Senior Program Manager for Behavioral Health and Justice with any questions: nward@naco.org.