Case Study: Prince George’s County, Md.
In September 2017, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) hosted the Data-Driven Justice and Behavioral Health Design Institute (Design Institute) in Rockville, Md. The Design Institute convened 13 teams committed to the Data-Driven Justice (DDJ) initiative. Teams were selected through a competitive process to work directly with expert faculty in facilitated sessions and workshops to create action plans for developing and using integrated data systems that would aid their jurisdictions in identifying high utilizers of jails and crisis services. This case study is part of a series highlighting counties that participated in the Design Institute.
At the Design Institute, Prince George’s County identified several needs to improve how it identifies high utilizers and coordinates their connection to treatment and support services, including determining what information should be collected electronically and what data should be integrated, as well as implementing a data platform that would allow for real-time data sharing. Ultimately, the county wants to create synergy between a wide range of county government agencies and partners, forge alliances between data owners and develop a system-wide approach to diversion.