DEPARTMENT: San Antonio Police Department
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Chief William McManus
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, Mobile Integrated Health/Fusion Mental Health Unit Program for Intensive Care Coordination (PICC) Donation Acceptance
SUMMARY:
This ordinance authorizes the acceptance and appropriation of funds from the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC) for the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) in the amount up to $384,478, and appropriates funds to be used by the Mental Health Unit of the SAPD in the amount of $382,978 for personnel costs and $1,500 for equipment for a total of $384,478. Funds will be used to help improve outpatient services of residents who are repeatedly emergency detained by law enforcement officers and taken to local hospitals due to mental illness. Funding is for the period of January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
STRAC was established to facilitate the development, implementation, and operation of a regional comprehensive trauma and emergency healthcare system based on accepted standards of care to decrease morbidity and mortality. Funds from STRAC are awarded to assist in improving the functionality of emergency agencies in the State of Texas. In 2019, STRAC received funding for a 6-month pilot program called the Program for Intensive Care Coordination (PICC) from the South Texas Crisis Collaborative (STCC), which is comprised of various healthcare systems and philanthropic organizations to reduce the number of high-volume emergency detentions to local hospitals. Due to the success of the 6-month pilot program, additional funding was provided for calendar year 2020 and now again in 2021.
The number of emergency detentions by the SAPD that were routed to local hospitals utilizing STRAC's law enforcement navigation system were approximately 14,000 in 2018, 14,889 in 2019, and 14,046 in 2020. Since the launch of the program in July 201...
Click here for full text