Title
Report regarding a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding between the County of San Mateo and the South San Francisco Police Department to continue the Community Wellness Crisis Response Team program in South San Francisco for Fiscal Year 2024-25. (Adam Plank, Police Captain)
label
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving a Memorandum of Understanding that extends the Community Wellness Crisis Response Team program for Fiscal Year 2024-25.
Body
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The Community Wellness Crisis Response Team (CWCRT) began as a two-year pilot program with four participating cities (South San Francisco, San Mateo, Daly City, and Redwood City) that embedded a StarVista licensed mental health clinician within each police department. The CWCRT program provides a crisis co-response model (clinician and police officer) that responds to behavioral health-related incidents reported to the department’s dispatch center. The same pilot program concept will now expand to six additional police departments in San Mateo County to incorporate similar programs in those jurisdictions.
A Memorandum of Understanding has been drafted between the City of South San Francisco (“City”) and the County of San Mateo Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (“County Services”) to maintain mental health clinician coverage in South San Francisco for next fiscal year. The coverage will continue providing community benefits like early intervention, crisis de-escalation, mental health evaluations, initiating involuntary holds, referrals to additional services, follow-up visits, and support for the involved individuals and their families.
The CWCRT two-year pilot program was evaluated by the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and their Communities at Stanford University. The Gardner Center’s impact report identified a 16% reduction of involuntary psychiatric detentions and a 17% reduction in mental health-focused calls for service among the police departments participating in the initial pilot program. The Gardner Center will continue analyzing data and evaluating the CWCRT program at no charge to the City of South San Francisco.
The mental health clinician hours are Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, which is consistent with when the police department experiences the highest volume of behavioral health-related incidents. Additionally, the department’s CWCRT policy and the clinician’s equipment/workspace are already in place since the program has been operational for the past two years.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for the CWCRT program is included in the City of South San Francisco’s Fiscal Year 2024-25 adopted budget by way of the Opioid Settlement Fund and General Fund. The City of South San Francisco will be responsible for reimbursing the County of San Mateo for the salary, benefits, program operations/administration, and equipment costs at a not-to-exceed amount of $249,432. The itemized costs are as follows:
|
Salary and Benefits |
$176,737 |
|
Operations/Administration |
$68,995 |
|
Equipment |
$3,700 |
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLAN
Acceptance of this meets the Strategic Goals #3: Public Safety by rendering skilled police, fire, and emergency service management.
CONCLUSION
The CWCRT program offers an alternative response to behavioral health-related incidents and is designed to improve the outcomes of the individuals involved. It enhances the services offered by the South San Francisco Police Department by having a trained mental health clinician available to respond to crisis calls for service, conduct follow-up visits when applicable, and provide regular training/guidance to members of our department. It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the proposed Memorandum of Understanding that continues the CWCRT program in South San Francisco.