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The Department of Behavioral Health
Our Mission
- Act as Commissioner’s Court advocate, expert, and clearinghouse on community mental health issues and programs.
- Lead in planning, coordinating, advocating, and organizing community behavioral health stakeholders in activities to continuously improve the availability of services in Bexar County.
Our Vision
- Transform Bexar County to a National model of a mentally healthy community.
Our Purpose
- Identify Gaps: The Department identifies overlap and system needs to best serve the mental health community.
- Increase Capacity: The Department identifies resources that can be leveraged and identifies new funding streams to increase service capacity for persons in need.
- Identify and recommend best use of County dollars: The Department identifies emerging best practices and monitors costs specific to the provision of treatment of persons suffering from mental illness
Goals and Objectives
Devote exclusive attention to:
- Providing a systematic process to continuously assess the needs for mental health services in the community and prioritize the best investment of County funds to meet those needs
- Creating a seamless system of care and safety net services for the mentally ill by improving services at multiple points of entry to care, and coordinating programs, providers and services
- Lead mental health stakeholders in pursuing strategies supporting the improved system of care
- Continuing the work of the Bexar County Mental Health Consortium to further the strategic plan to:
- Raise awareness in the community
- Address community needs
- Coordinate with public policy leaders
- Impact legislation
- Facilitate training
- Recruit and retain Mental Health professionals
- Ensure a coordinated system of care in the community
- Establishing a partnership with the Center for Health Care Services (CHCS) to ensure that gaps, needs, and services identified by the community are formalized and incorporated in CHCS’s service delivery plan
- Being Commissioner’s Court expert/advocate on mental health issues and programs in the County; negotiate contracts for mental health services while tracking performance measures, program compliance, and effectiveness
Current Actions
- Reduce number of persons with mental illness from inappropriate incarceration
- Convene Bexar County Mental Health Consortium and Legislative Symposium
- Promote methods that encourage the reduction of the stigma of mental illness
- Encourage, expand, and support effective mental health treatment services for the citizens of Bexar County