Case Study: Orange County, Calif.
Orange County is a Familiar Faces Initiative (FFI) Peer-Learning Site modeling effective cross-sector data sharing and familiar faces programming for the FFI community. In 2017, Orange County faced growing number of high-needs residents with complex behavioral health conditions who were frequently cycling through the county’s jails, homeless shelters, emergency departments and other crisis services. In FY2021-2022, data from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Health Care Agency showed that approximately 1,256 individuals were booked into custody four or more times, and the associated costs for the resources available to those individuals represented about 15-200 percent of the County’s total budget.
Seeking a better model that would both reduce costs and improve outcomes for this small number of people, Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do developed a vision for county service providers to share data and develop individualized case plans to meet the specific needs of each high-needs person. This case study highlights Orange County’s implementation of a data-sharing technology platform and care coordination program to improve outcomes for familiar faces.