Case Study: Minnehaha County, S.D.
As a member of the Familiar Faces Initiative, Stepping Up and the Safety and Justice Challenge, Minnehaha County leverages multiple opportunities to develop strategies that meet the needs of familiar faces – high-needs residents with complex behavioral health conditions who frequently cycle through jails, homeless shelters, emergency departments and other crisis services. These strategies also reduce the county’s reliance on the county jail and emergency medical services.
Minnehaha County sits in the southeast corner of South Dakota and is home to the state’s largest city, Sioux Falls. The county supports familiar faces through a ‘whole person’ approach that seeks to address all the social determinants of health—including medical, behavioral and socioeconomic needs. This case study highlights Minnehaha County’s actions to address service gaps in the community and improve outcomes for familiar faces.